the best. Out of the whole year, August and December are the months that go by the fastest for me. I just want them to last and last. December, of course, because of all things Christmasy. And August because it is just too full of goodness. To me, August means:
Seeing cars parked up and down our street for the county fair, 9 o'clock sunsets, lawn mower lines in our yard, cut watermelon in our fridge, tomatoes on the counter, gladiolas at the farmers' market, my husband all day, plenty of shade trees, ponytails and cut-off shorts, dewy-sunshiny mornings
Smelling cut grass, grill smoke, green corn husks, fresh dill and basil, chocolate brownies in the oven
Tasting the best food of the year! Farmers market musk melon, peaches, fresh salsa, summer squash and zucchini, yellow-yolked farm eggs, sweet corn, and homemade sour pickles.
Hearing the buzz of lawn mowers, the air conditioning kick on, kids playing outside, crop duster planes flying crazy low and waking us up every morning.
Feeling free and easy, full of possibilities, the sun on my shoulders as we shuck corn on the back steps, like I need to get my hands on some okra, like I never want this to end.
Today at the farmers' market I picked up 12 pounds of these little guys!!! Perfect for making these spiced dill pickles from last year. I'm going all out this year. Big batches in big jars, with big hopes that the supply will last us longer than 1 week. I'm even getting some grape leaves from the grape vines we have out at camp-- grape leaves help homemade pickles turn out extra crunchy, so if you can get some, please do! (Although I've made them without grape leaves and they've still turned out nice and crisp.)
These dill pickles don't have the vinegary-sour taste we're used to in a store-bought pickle. They're a fresher, fizzier kind of sour; which makes sense because they are are classically fermented with just filtered water and sea salt. If you have a garden full of cukes right now, you should so try making these. They're so easy and good- not to mention good for you! (full of probiotics) If your cucumbers are large, I'd recommend cutting them into slices and pickling them that way. As slices, and since our houses are August-warm right now, they may finish fermenting earlier. So feel free to taste them before Day 4 and see if they're sour enough for you.
What are you guys getting at your farmers' market this week?
3 comments:
I am getting everything to make ratatouille (eggplant, tomatoes, squash) that I can toss with fresh pasta and Parmesan cheese!
Peaches! Utah peaches are possibly the best things ever grown on earth!
I make lacto fermented pickles too, and just finished up a batch on my counter. Any idea how long they last? I usually make 1 jar at a time but I'd love to make a big batch like you are. Typically fermented foods last a couple of months in the fridge for me..how long do you think yours will stay good?
i love the farmers market.
i am getting tomatoes to go with the buffalo mozzarella my dad brought me from the buffalo farm. and i will also get some saturn peaches.