Refrigerator Dill Pickles

I picked a bunch of cucumbers this week and decided to look for a dill pickle recipe, since I still have a bunch of Sweet Freezer Pickles in the freezer.  The kids are sweet pickled out, but I think they will go for dill pickles.

I came across this recipe from One Perfect Bite (who got it from Bobby Flay) and decided to give it a try.

Here's the recipe, with my substitutions:

Refrigerator Dill Pickles...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Bobby Flay

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups apple cider vinegar (distilled white vinegar is most likely made from GMO's)
1/4 to 1/3 cup granulated sugar (I used cane sugar)
4 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
3/4 teaspoon dill seeds
2 cups hot water
2 pounds pickling cucumbers, sliced or cut into spears (you can pickle any cukes, but ones grown specifically for pickling tend to make more crisp pickles, from what I have read)

3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

Directions:
1) Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and dill seeds in a heatproof bowl(not plastic). Add hot water and stir until sugar dissolves and liquid is clear. Cool to room temperature.
2) Place cucumbers, garlic and dill in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Pour brine over all and turn to coat cucumbers. Cover with a plate to hold them down and keep them covered in brine. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate overnight, stirring once or twice. Transfer to an airtight container.

Keeps up to two weeks. 
Makes about 1 quart.

Here's how mine came out. This is only part of them, the others we ate already were good and crispy! Yum!

Chick Update: 7 weeks old

Our Light Sussex chicks are 7 weeks old today.  They are really filling out, and I am impressed by the sturdiness of their legs and feet. To me, they are reminiscent of the Cornish Rock chickens that we raised for meat a couple years ago. I think this is a good thing, since one reason we are raising them is for a potential meat bird.

 We've had no casualties with the Light Sussex chickens since they were chicks, and the one surviving one that had a crooked neck has recovered and I'm not sure as to which one it even is.

It got really hot today (104 plus  humidity) and I put some ice cubes in their water.  I also gave them some weeds and some bug-chewed chard from the garden to give them something to do.

The camera is not working right....I hope to be back soon to post pics or video!

June 2012: Groceries

Wow, guys, it's been almost 2 weeks since I have posted on the blog!

Since my last grocery post, I have gone through the food we have in the house and decided that milk was my priority. So, I went to Kroger since I was already in "big town" and purchased 3 half-gallons of organic, pastured milk to the tune of $10.14.

At last count, I had $10.46 left for the rest of the month.
$10.46-10.14= $.32 left!


I have stubbornly refused to go to the store and buy "snacks", because I really really want to not go over on the food budget of $450/month for our family of 5.

Admittedly, we have been eating "weird" snacks. One thing I have been doing is scrounging in the baking cabinet and making "trail mix" with odds and ends in there. Throw some chocolate chips in there with the marshmallows and nuts and you have trail mix, right?

I went through the freezer and I have at least 3 good meals (which will give leftovers for lunches), so I don't HAVE to go to the store, except to add variety to our diets. It's not a MUST, it's a Want To. ;)

I may go to the grocery on Friday, though, before the end of the month, because the kids are not home and I can shop smarter(and saner) without them.  But the food will be for next week, which is the start of a new month.

Gluten Challenge: Spelt

The more I read about Wheat being genetically engineered back in the 40s and 50s and the rise in Celiac and Gluten sensitivity, the more I am thinking the problem might not be in the presence of gluten and more in the change in genetic code in GM/GE foods.

So, working on this premise, I thought I would do a Gluten Challenge on myself, using Spelt.

Spelt is an ancient grain, a relative of wheat, but has not been genetically engineered like wheat has. 

Last night I made pizza for the whole family, using the spelt flour I had purchased at the local Food Store. The family ate it without complaint, and I had to tell them that it was different than their regular fare.

The last time I had regular commerial pizza ($5 Hot and Ready from Little Caesar's), I had such bad brain fog that I nearly drove away from the gas pump without paying for gas. Totally out of the loop. I was so embarrassed and thankful that the owner of the gas place didn't call the cops on me!

I digress...but had to share how things effect me when I don't pay attention to what I eat.  Now, I can't be certain it was the gluten and not something else in the processed pizza....but all in all it was not a good experience. :-/


Anyway, I had the pizza last night and so far have had no problems from it. No digestive distress. No brain fog.  I had leftovers for lunch today and am still not having issues.  I will give a report later if I do find I have something crop up.

If I find I do well, I think I might be buying spelt from now on for home baking. It will be easier than the struggle (for me, others may excel at this) of baking GF without using all the starches that I am generally opposed to for regular consumption. And, I may decide to add some more ancient grains that aren't gluten free into my/our diet.

Chick Update: 5 weeks old

I'm a bit late on the Chick Update--sorry!

They are now turning into chickens, and this week my daughter and I moved them out into the chicken coop. 

Here's a little video...it's really short due to the iPod being nearly full...sorry!

I very much like them out there better than in the porch at this point.  They are not roosting on the boards shown in the video yet. I went in last night to check on them around dusk and they were all huddled by the door in a pile. Hopefully they will soon learn to roost up where they should!