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Often, the big challenge is figuring out what to do with all those extra delicious foods.
Have you ever tried using surplus cucumbers to make pickles—in the freezer? Because you will want to eat them “just thawed” with a few ice crystals, small packages are the key to satisfaction. When making pickles, for best results, use “pickling-type” cucumbers. They're easy enough to recognize: they look like pickles! They're small and firm, where "regular" cucumbers are much larger.
Use canning or pickling salt for making pickles. Table salt contains iodine and anti-caking additives that turn pickles dark and the pickling liquid cloudy. Pickles made with table salt would still be good to eat, but they wouldn't look as appetizing.Don't use reduced-sodium salt when making pickles.
Most preserving recipes mention leaving "head space" when packing containers. This allows for expansion during the curing process. If you fill containers up the top, you may find that the containers burst because there's no room for the expansion that's going to take place.
No-Cook Freezer Pickles
Ingredients: 4 cups sliced cucumbers 2 cups sliced onions 1 Tbs canning salt 3 Tbs water 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup cider vinegar
Directions: Put sliced cucumbers and onions in a bowl. Add canning salt and water. Cover and let stand about one hour. Drain off the liquid. Mix sugar with vinegar and stir until sugar dissolves.
Pack in 8-ounce freezer containers, leaving 1-inch headspace. Freeze two weeks and then thaw as needed, 3 to 4 hours in refrigerator.
Makes 4 cups (1 quart)
Freezer Pickles with Cooked Syrup
Ingredients: 2 cups water 2 cups sugar 1 cup distilled white vinegar 1 tsp canning salt 5 cups thinly sliced cucumbers
Directions: Combine water, sugar, white vinegar and salt in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then cool. Slice unpeeled cucumbers very thin and pack into freezer containers until 3/4 full. Pour the cooled syrup over cucumbers.
Place a crumpled piece of waxed paper on top of each container. Cover and freeze. Thaw to serve.
Makes 10 cups (2 1/2 quarts)
Published 09/14/07
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Whether you have your own garden or shop in our produce section, there's one great thing about this time of year: fruits and vegetables are plentiful! In fact, they're everywhere! 
