Time to Make the Pickles

I went out to the garden yesterday afternoon to pick whatever may have grown in the last couple of days. I thought there might be a few beans and maybe a couple of cucumbers. I picked almost 2 pounds of beans and, god help me, more than 5 pounds of cucumbers. As much bitter complaining I do about the weather (too rainy, too cold, too hot, too dry, etc.), it has been very good for the garden.

I decided to put up some jars of Half Sour pickles, which are cured in a salt brine rather than a vinegar brine.

They aren't canned, so they won't keep for more than a few weeks. But I expect to have cucumbers into September, so I can make these all summer.

The flavoring is pretty simple: coriander, black pepper, garlic, and a chili pepper (I used jalapeno). The recipe calls for a bay leaf, but I forgot to put it in two of the three jars. I have a feeling I'll be making my first batch of relish this weekend, but I think I can take a break from produce tonight. Maybe sew something. Or knit.