Today I found myself leaning against my kitchen counter fishing out homemade dill pickles from a mason jar. I have to stop myself from eating the
whole jar of these fresh, crunchy, tangy edible coins. I take note of the color-I love how
green they are. All of the herbs and spices floating in a tangy, sweet
brine dancing around cucumbers-its hard not to dive into the jar
with my fingers alone. In that moment I thought of Grandma & Grandpa
Greenfield's home garden and how I had always imagined how fresh
& simply they had eaten. I imagined that they too, decades ago,
ate cucumbers straight from a jar as they were leaning against the
counter.
I had only met The Greenfields, my mother's grandparents, a handful of times. They lived in Nebraska and making the trek from Southeast Texas to the small town of Bassett was a long and rather boring one in a ten year old's eyes. It was during a time where seat belts weren't enforced and my sister and I were not entirely restrained to one spot in our car.
I liked to sleep on the floorboard. My dad never could understand why we chose to rest rather than peer at the scenery as its quickly blurred past our window. He could drive for hours and it would usually take us two days to get there-we'd stop in Ardmore, OK and spend the night at a Holiday Inn with an indoor pool. That pool was a very special treat and a break from the long day on the road.
Grandma & Grandpa Greenfield lived in Bassett, Nebraska-a very small Northern Nebraskan town (population 900 back then) situated amongst ranches and farmland. They were both small in stature and Grandpa Greenfield always reminded me of a gnome. Grandma Greenfield wore bright lipstick and colored her hair rather dark, she had clear blue eyes like Paul Newman. They had a stuffed German Shepherd laying in their living room-I wanted to take it home with me.
Their backyard was filled with vegetables. I remember exiting through their backdoor and being mesmerized by the fresh produce. It was the first home vegetable garden I had ever seen. I watched Grandpa Greenfield pluck vegetables off of the vines, no doubt they were for that night's dinner or lunch the following day.
We left a few days later, it was the last visit with my great grandmother, the last visit to that house and to the vegetable garden. Years passed before we visited Bassett one last time. We passed by that tiny white house with the green AstroTurf laden stairs and I had only hoped for a garden so green & plentiful to be found in the backyard. I couldn't tell though, I was strapped in by a seat belt.
Refrigerator Dill Pickles
source: Food & Wine recipe by Bobby Flay
1-1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
3/4 teaspoon dill seeds
2 cups hot water
2 pounds cucumbers, sliced 1/4-inch thick
3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1-1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
3/4 teaspoon dill seeds
2 cups hot water
2 pounds cucumbers, sliced 1/4-inch thick
3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
Directions:
1. In a large, heatproof measuring cup,
combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and dill seeds
with the hot water and stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Let the
brine cool.
2. In a large bowl, toss the cucumbers
with the dill and garlic. Pour the brine over the cucumbers and turn to coat.
Place a small plate over the cucumbers to keep them submerged, cover the bowl
with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the pickles overnight, stirring once or twice. Lift pickles into 3-pint sized mason jars and ladle brine to cover. Serve cold. Yield: 3 pints.
***Make Ahead:
The dill pickles can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
