Fresh and Local Produce: July 27th - August 2nd

Pickling Cucumbers from Keewaydin Organics –also called “gherkins”, these are a type of cucumber that stays rather small, & therefor fits nicely into jars for pickling.  You can use them to make vinegar pickles – canned or the refrigerator type – or the traditional kosher-type lacto-fermented ones that use a water & salt brine to cure.  Or, if you like sweet pickles, try them in the Bread & Butter Refrigerator Pickles recipe:

Refrigerator Pickles
(Bread and Butter type)
7-8 pickling cukes, thinly sliced (NOT peeled)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 1/3 c. cider or white vinegar
1 2/3 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. pickling or non-iodized sea salt (the minerals in the sea salt might make the pickles slightly cloudy but will not impair them any other way)
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. mustard seed
1/4 tsp. tumeric
Mix sliced cukes & onions in a large bowl. Dissolve sugar in vinegar & mix in salt, celery & mustard seeds, & tumeric. Pour over cukes/onions, stir gently, & pour into clean jars (make sure liquid covers vegetables). Store in refrigerator, keeps for many many months.

Flowering Dill from Keewaydin Organics – the best kind to use for pickling cucumbers or dilly beans.

Black & Red Currants  from Harmony Valley Farm – delicious relatives of gooseberries.  Black currants have a very unusual flavor that is hard to describe: foxy, fragrant, spicy…  An acquired taste, perhaps, but one that many find quite addictive.  Very high in natural pectin, black currants make a wonderful jam on their own or with other summer fruits like raspberries & cherries.  Red currants are a tart, gorgeous ruby red little fruit that is usually harvested as a cluster on stems, making them a lovely garnish.