My adopted grandma was the mad pickler of Cooks Hill. She put up an amazing qty of pickles each year well into her 70's. Everyone wanted to be on her Xmas gift list. Between her pickles and sweets she made a great gift basket. Her fudge and dip chocolates were legendary too. She'd worked as a confectioner as a young woman in the 20's and 30's before losing the farm in the dustbowl and moving west. Oh my achin' arteries...
I can't even remember all the types of pickles she'd put up: dill, sweet, bread & butter, cocktail...
If I recollect the whole back wall of her 2 car garage was floor to ceiling 10" shelve cabinets of pickles. Down one side wall were cabinets with other preserves (fruits, jellies, jams, etc).
How many cukes mounds did she plant? I don't trust my memory that well and you'd think I was crazy if I told you the number I'm thinking.
Spring thru fall she worked all day in her flower and vegetable gardens. We'd sometimes get paid with a giant dill pickle for helping her trim the Iris or for wheeling mulch/sawdust out into the flower beds.
Those dills were to die for. Don't ever bite one unless you wanted it to bite you right back. My older sis has promised to send that recipe my way.
An online acquantance sent along this note:
Great pickle recipe...
Do what you have to prep them and into quart sealers place 3 sprigs of fresh dill, 4 whole garlic cloves and vinegar (White Pickling)...Kosher Dills...but they have to sit, darkened space for at least two weeks longer then any other dills...One aunt adds a teaspoon of sugar as well...try both ways and see which you prefer!
After eating all the cukes from the jar, blanche cabbage leaves and put into the leftover brine and wait 5 to 7 days--Sauerkraut...You can do this two maybe three times then the potency is faded…then take out the garlic cloves and eat them while drinking the juice…very healthy!
I'm having for lunch both cabbage and pickles with venison burgers, homemade ketchup, relish and mustard but store bought tomatoes and lettuce...
He's Jewish so I'm guessing they'd be tasty AND kosher. :-)
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