The past couple of years have not been kind in the way of cucumbers. They didn’t do very well in the garden, with either too much rain, disease, or bugs. So far, this season, my cucumbers look amazing! I am so excited because cucumbers are probably my favorite vegetable. I love to eat them plain or sliced with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. I also LOVE pickled cucumbers. 
This year, I started two different varieties of cucumbers from seed in our tiny greenhouse. I started pickling cucumbers and burpless cucumbers. I started with about six of each plant. When I transferred them into the garden, I did not have high hopes. They looked wilted, a little brown and just not healthy. Fast forward three weeks and a little organic fertilizer later, and I have started to pick both varieties. They are super green and delicious, and abundant. Maybe I don’t have a black thumb after all.
Just tonight, I had four pickling cucumbers that I quick pickled. I like processing pickles, but when I only have a few cucumbers, it is just too cumbersome to get out all of the equipment it takes. Plus, I just wanted to taste some fresh pickles. To quick pickle these, I added a cup of white vinegar, a cup of water, a tablespoon of pickling salt and a half tablespoon of sugar to a pot. I brought this to a boil. Meanwhile, I quartered four cucumbers and put them in a glass dish with three sprigs of dill and a teaspoon of black peppercorns. We were out of garlic (horror!) so I added a dash of garlic powder. I poured the liquid over the cucumbers, and now we just wait. Well, I actually already ate two spears, and they were good, but they will be even better if I can just let them sit for a little while…..
