Refrigerator Dill Pickles

I'm here right now to make you a promise:

Once you try this recipe, as long as cucumbers are fresh and available, you will never buy dill pickles again. That's a promise I know I can keep because you, dear reader, are smart enough to know a good thing when you see it.

No canning involved, these dill pickles keep in the refrigerator for a ridiculously long period of time and are better than the so-called-best dills in the grocery.

I've adapted the recipe just slightly from the one found HERE so that you only have to make one quart of pickles at a time.

You will need a 1 quart jar with lid (I used a 1 liter Weck jar, just because I love the glass lid and the way it looks so special.)

Scrub some smallish cucumbers, trim the ends off and cut into spears. Pack the spears tightly into the jar.

Add to the jar:
1 teaspoon dill weed
2 teaspoons dill seed
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon whole mustard seed
6 whole peppercorns
1/8 teaspoon powdered allspice
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 heaping teaspoon Ball Pickle Crisp

(For a little extra sweetness and for looks, you can stuff one little trimmed and peeled carrot into the jar, too.)

In a saucepan on the stove, make a brine by heating to boiling:
2 cups distilled water (?I used water from my Brita pitcher)
1/2 cup white vinegar (important to use the vinegar specified in any pickle recipe so that your acidity is correct)
1 Tablespoon fine Kosher or canning salt

Cool the brine and then pour over the cucumbers in the jar to within 1/4" of the top. Seal and store in the refrigerator.
.

If you can, try to restrain yourself and wait several days to let the flavors meld; however, if you just must try them out the next day you will STILL be very happy.

I promise.

Again, here's the link to the original recipe -- absolute genius! If you love these, you have to try the Hickory House version, too.
http://chickensintheroad.com/farm-bell-recipes/instant-picklefication/

I've Got The Beets

Red and golden beets -- you have to just assume that anything with that much color has to be good for you, and it's true!

Nutritional Value of Beets

Beets aren't something that have shown up on my dinner table very often -- okay, EVER. (Well, except that one time many years ago when I went on a crazy diet with a friend where we ate only canned beets and hot dogs for several days -- she lost 8 pounds and I gained 2...don't try it, people, just don't.)

I digress.

The shortage of beets in my diet, along with my complete ignorance about how to prepare and eat them, means they are exactly the kind of food that I'd hoped to learn more about. The first, and probably most important, thing I learned about beets is this:

Never ever under any circumstances ever underestimate the staining power of beet juice.

With that being said, you can carefully begin to fix your beets - either raw or cooked. I started off easy, roasting red and golden beets in the oven, then eating them chilled on a salad. They were earthy tasting -- almost a bit TOO earthy for my liking until I added the Feta cheese to the salad. It really helped balance that flavor and made them very very good.



To roast:
Cut the green tops from the beets, leaving about an inch of stem. Scrub each beet thoroughly and trim the base flat so that the beet can sit upright in the dish. Fill the dish with about an inch of water, and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 400 degrees (F) for about an hour -- until the tip of a paring knife pierces the flesh of the beet easily.

Pull the pan from the oven. Let it cool for a bit, and then, while the beets are still warm, use a knife to gently slip the skins off and remove the tops. (Note -- I used a very thin filleting knife, which worked beautifully.) Refrigerate the roasted beets in a tightly covered dish in the refrigerator -- they can safely be kept for 3 - 4 days before using.



These were wonderful served as a simple salad, sliced and combined with a few mixed spring greens and a hearty amount of feta cheese with a light sweet dressing.

A few articles of interest:

The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating

The Minimalist: A Divorce for Beets and Goat Cheese

Recipes for Health: Beets - The New York Times