Time to try again.....

I'm feeling the need to write these days so after one post (a year and a half ago no less). I'm going to give blogging another shot.

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Today I'm obsessed with my pickles :)

I get an unexplainable satisfaction when I see the jars lined up at this time of year.

Why? I'm not really sure. It's a lot of work. If you factor in the time and work it's probably cheaper (and definitely easier) to buy them at the store....

• harvest cucumbers


• scrub cucumbers


• soak cukes in ice cold water


• check jars for nicks and cracks


• wash the jars


• sterilize the jars


• get garlic and dill ready


• make the brine


• pack the jars


• warm the tops


• fill with brine (and empty and refill because the cukes cool the brine too much)


• top the jars


• clean the kitchen

And then it's time to wait - and obsess - to see if any of those jars are actually going to seal. Most of them usually do but you never know..... it's that satisfying ping that has me running across the house to check. YUP! Victory! Silly how happy it makes me. All this for a few jars of pickles, and in a few days there are more little cukes calling my name. At this point, you have to go on faith that they will taste good - it's Grammy's recipe and they're always good but you just never know. The water might be different this year with the softener..... we won't know until next week, but.....

Today I am a Domestic Diva - I've made pickles :)