Uh oh, Time for Pickles

While I was weeding yesterday, I sent the girls out to pick cucumbers.  It wasn't until I came inside that I realized how many they had.  That's a lot!  I'm surprised the basket didn't break.

I just looked at it for a minute before admitting that it was time to make pickles.  Pickles are one of the easiest things to can but I don't like them so any effort is difficult to put in.  But the kids love them.

Praise God, we have some dried dill left over from last year.  This year I didn't get around to planting any. 

Instead of weeding this morning, we worked in the kitchen.  One sliced the bigger cucumbers up.  One filled jars.  Another stuffed in sprigs of dill.  While they were working, I got the brine hot (water, vinegar, and salt).  I added some mustard seed to each jar, poured the brine over, and screwed on a lid. 

They only spend 15 minutes boiling in the canner.  Being able to pack them at room temperature so we don't deal with hot stuff makes them so easy.

That big basket yielded 21 quarts.  It is a good way to preserve a large cucumber harvest, so I feel good about that.  And everyone in the family except me loves pickles and they rave about how good these are, so that's nice.  ...But it still feels like a hassle.