Pickling Time

     Summer's end is approaching, which means an abundance of cucumbers from the garden. And that means it's pickling time. A wonderful aroma of vinegar and spices fills the house as the brine begins to simmer on the stove. This week I am making garlic dill slices and hopefully will have enough cucumbers next week to make a bread and butter variety. Both will be refrigerator pickles as my small harvest doesn't warrant enough jars for processing in hot water baths.

     The entire procedure of growing, harvesting and canning products from the garden is a comforting one. Although I am far from being a self-reliant gardener (the yield would never see us through the winter), the process reminds me of a time, perhaps my great-grandmother's, when preserving food was essential and not to be taken lightly.  A time when colored jars lining pantry shelves indicated not just a pretty display but the satisfaction of a competent, prepared homemaker.

     In our lives today we are far removed from that homemaker. There are few women, or should I say people, in urban areas who would have the knowledge to even make an attempt. I have a little of that learning, but luckily I also have a wonderful book to guide me. The pages are yellow and somewhat stained yet priceless beyond measure.