In a pickle

Saturday was pickling day at the Clarks. In order to grow enough small cucumbers for pickling, I estimate you would have to grow 1/2 acre of cukes! We don't have that much room.

We bought the bulk of ours from Okagawas on Orchard Mesa. They sell 1/2 bushel of small/medium cucs for $20. Hellman's also grows great cukes and will save the smallest for you if you call in advance.

If you crave pickles you are probably a salt-aholic like my husband, Olan. He craves salt so much he carries a little Ziplock bag of salt in his car. I'm always worried the police are going to think it's cocaine if he ever gets stopped. So if you ever see his name in the blotter ...

I wish I could share the recipe but it was entrusted to us by a grand champion winner who made us promise to never give it out but, you can see by the photos what type of ingredients we used. The manly champion likes to add jalapenos and cherry bomb peppers to his — we are a little wimpy for that. We did use a few ingredients from the garden — dill, garlic and a few cucumbers. At the end of the day we had a measly 30 jars of pickles and 7 jars pickled okra. Our crazy champion friend cans 150 jars in one day every year! Now that's a REAL man!

"I think pickles are cucumbers that sold out. They sold their soul to the devil and the devil is dill..."