pickles!!

My first try at making pickles! They are yummy. I made the recipe called Famous Back Eddy House Pickles from the book Quick Pickles by Chris Schlesinger and others. This book has lots of similar recipes and I'm hoping to try more of them soon. I like pickle recipes that use a mix of vegetables, in addition to cucumbers. I added beets (striped Chiogga's) to the recipe, which darkened my brine.

cucumbers

Still lots of cucumbers hiding under the leaves in my vine filled cold frame. It seems this is a good spot for them. I notice that most other cucumber patches around here have turned brown and stopped producing. I think the frame has sheltered them well in this hot dry summer. I'm starting to get a little mildew on the leaves now, but not too bad.

I can't even come close to eating them all. I meant to make pickles, and maybe I will soon, but I haven't had time to do this yet.

But maybe I won't have extras now, because I've discovered a nice way to use them: tiny baby cucumbers in a martini! A perfect way to eat a whole cuke in one bite.

cucumbers and melons in the cold frame

My cold frame is overflowing with summer vines. Four cucumber varieties, four melons, one pretty little acorn squash plant. I'm admiring the mix of similar leaves that have all gotten mixed up together.

I didn't do good planning where to plant. No space to walk between trellises and difficult to search the centers of green rows for hidden green cucumbers.

I've been comparing leaves of the three curcurbits. All the same size and color. But cucumbers are pointed and star-like, melons are rounded and wide, and acorn squash has deep round lobes.

The flowers are also similar but different. Cucumbers a little bigger and bright yellow. Melon flowers paler, more delicate, and tending to look ragged from bee traffic. I'm looking forward to seeing acorn squash flowers - none yet.

cheers to cucumber season!

My first cukes are in. Yippy! I love to make cucumber martinis. Of course, they're nice in salads too. My earliest varieties are blocky white North Carolina pickling cucumbers and Burpee's Sweet Success.

This year I am growing my cucumbers (and melons) on trellises in my cold frame (with covers removed). I have an automatic sprinkler set up to give them 10 minutes of water every evening. They seem to like this.

baby cucumber

baby cucumber plants

They are always the cutest little things. The baby cukes are growing up. I planted many this year. Diva (my favorite), Boston Pickling (a new one for me), North Carolina Pickling, Sweet Success and Tonikawa. I'm looking forward to fresh summer cukes.

I started the seeds inside under lights and today moved them outside to the cold frame (which I am now calling the hot house). In this hot weather, they can go right out. Today we had temps in the 80's. More like July.