Cucumber Overdose

I don’t know about your garden, but in ours the cucumbers are growing like weeds. I’ve never seen anything like it. We have our cucumber plants in about a quarter of a 30″x30″ pot–not too big at all. But, everyday my son is harvesting 5 or 6 of the darn things. If you’re like me, right about now you’d just as soon toss them in the trash as look at another one coming through the kitchen door. Well, don’t throw them out just yet or hunt down a cucumber-deprived neighbor to take them off your hands until you try this recipe. My father-in-law claims he’s been eating or making these for the past 85 years. They’re sooo easy and sooo good. Try ’em:

Art’s Sun Pickles

Pack 25 or more cucumbers tightly (and he means really tightly) to capacity in a 1 gallon jar with a wide mouth and a lid. Layer 2-3 stalks of fresh dill and 6 cloves of garlic cut in half throughout the jar as you pack it.

Mix brine solution:
6 1/2 C. of cold water
3 1/4 C. of white vinegar
1/2 C. of canning salt

Pour brine solution over pickles. Add a pinch of granulated alum to the top. Cover the jar and set it in the sun for 2 days. If it’s hot outside, overcast days will work too.

Refrigerate pickles until you’re ready to enjoy. These sun pickles will last up to a year in the refrigerator.

Kathryn