Pickled: Garlic, Cucumbers and Beets

Cucumbers, garlic and beets are in season so we've been eating them fresh, but I also love to pickle veggies so we have a delicious, healthy snack later in the season. 

Who doesn't love garlic?  I seriously can not get enough of it and I've been stocking up at the local farmer's market.  For some reason, I haven't had good luck growing anything other than garlic scapes.

Here's the recipe I love for pickled garlic:  Pickled Garlic

Picled Garlic - YUM!

My cucumbers are going CRAZY this year.  Wowser!  My son Gus is the cucumber king - he eats them like apples right after they've been picked.  Anyway,we  LOVE my Grandma Evelyn's Refrigerator Pickle recipe.

Grandma Evelyn's Refrigerator Pickles

Thinly slice 7 cups of cucumbers and 1 sliced onion - add 2 tablespoon of salt. Let sit for 1 hour and rinse off salt and drain juice. Combine 1 cup of vinegar to 2 cups of sugar and add 2 tsp. of pickling seasoning and bring to a boil.  Add liquid to cucumbers, jar up and refrigerate.  These are fantastic!!

Grandma Evelyn's Refrigerator Pickles in her relish tray

After my running group today (Ski and Tea) I went to the garden and picked another 8 cucumbers (where do they come from so quickly?), so I chopped them all up and I'm going to pickle some in the regular fashion and I'm making "Parents Pickles" with garlic, jalapenos and red pepper flakes for a little variety.   I'll let you know how they turn out (thanks for the inspiration, Susan Buchman).  I wonder how many hours I've spent cutting cucumbers this week?  Ugh.  Let me know if you have an easier way that works.

And last but not least, my Grandma Evelyn's Pickled Beets Recipe - beets ALWAYS remind me of her and I love her recipe.

Grandma's Pickled Beets

Boil 16 beets for about 45 minutes until tender.

In a saucepan, boil 1 cup of vinegar, 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of pickling spice.

Pour over beets and refrigerate overnight.

Yum, Pickled Beets

We're still been checking things off our summer bucket list.  Yesterday we had a play day at the KOA.  If you live in Hayward, have kids over the age of 5 and under the age of 13 - it's a MUST. For $14.00 the kids can swim, mini-golf, jump on their giant outdoor trampoline, take an old fashioned wagon ride, and play on their amazing playground.  Seriously, it's like a vacation for moms too. 

My camera was almost out of juice, so I didn't get the best pictures, but here's one:

Full on water gun fight at the KOA.  No one was exempt from getting sprayed and it was HILARIOUS.  Even my mild-mannered Greta got in on the action.

What are you pickling this weekend?  I'm kicking myself for not pickling asparagus in the Spring!  Oh well, there's always next year.

Thanks for reading,

Kristin

P.S.  I've been meaning to put a picture of my Grandma on my blog.  I still can't believe she's not here with us.

My Grandma and me before the Oprah show in 2009

Kristin

My Birthday Meal: In Season Delights

I had a really great birthday!!  Thanks to everyone for the well wishes, cards, and presents.   I was able to be the guest coach at Ski and Tea, and we had a great morning workout on the Makwa trail.  My friend Stacey brought me cupcakes and also a free entry into the Birkie Trail 1/2 Marathon (I have been training but have been slow to sign up).  I had a few minutes at home for lunch before the next "mom taxi pick-up service", so I whipped up some kale chips, heated up some leftover corn-on-the-cob, and made a grilled cheese sandwich with a tomato on top.  PERFECT!!

My Refreshing Birthday Lunch

Everyone knows how to make grilled cheese and corn, but to make the kale chips, you de-stem, cut in small pieces, drizzle with olive oil and sea salt and bake for 30 minutes until crisp.  This is a good and easy way to use up your kale from the garden.

I've worked with Tom Sweeney for about 10 years, and he and his wife always give me yummy treats for my birthday.  This year, he gave me his home-made maple syrup (that's like gold in our house), wine (yummo), and pickled garlic.  Chad and I ate up the garlic almost immediately, so I dug some garlic out of my garden and made some more....delish!!!




Pickled Garlic

 For supper, I made one of my all-time favorite meals with my patty pan squash.  This risotto is so good that I usually want to lick the bowl. 




Patty Pan Squash Risotto
Ingredients: 
4 T Parmesan Cheese
4 cups of vegetable broth
2 oz. wine
2 tsp. olive oil
.25 tsp nutmeg
1 cup of squash
.75 arborio rice

Heat 4 cups of veggie broth and keep on low heat.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss and peel cubed squash with olive oil, salt and pepper and garlic and roast at 400 for 20 minutes.

Add wine to dry rice until rice has absorbed it and add broth one cup at a time until absorbed.  Stir in the squash and mix in the nutmeg and Parmesan cheese.  Yummy!!



Thank goodness Stacey sent home leftover cupcakes!

Stacey's Birthday Cupcakes

The kids wanted to add LOTS of candles. It was late, and I was exhausted (can you tell?), but it was very sweet of them to want to remember mom.

I plan on having more of my birthday in-season favorites coming up in a few days.  On Monday the kids and I (along with my friend Debi) are going to pick our corn, process and freeze for the winter months. 

Here's a couple of nature photographs I took in the last 2 weeks that I think are pretty cool.

Duck on Lake Owen

Dragonfly on Alder Lake - landed on my mom's book



Happy Cooking,

Kristin