pickles!

ever since cucumbers came into season here we have not been without a jar of pickles in the fridge. they are the perfect snack and perfect compliment to a summer meal. the kids love them and they are just beautiful to me, the jar all packed with summer goodness.

when i was growing up, we always had dill pickles throughout the summer too. my dad made (and still makes) counter pickles. after 3 days or so on the counter they were ready. D and i always tried to replicate them with spotty results. they were always too something... too salty, too vinagary, too plain.

but this year i found this amazing pickle recipe that is so reliable and so delicious, i think i have found MY recipe. the one my kids will (hopefully!) ask for when they are older.

the recipe is from our csa's website and it it a MUST DO if you don't already have a trusty dill pickle recipe. i think the recipe assumes that you will use a very large jar, but i just kind of tailor it to whatever size jar i'm using. it's pretty flexible.

here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 3 lb med. pickling cukes
• 5 c water
• 1 1⁄4 c white or cider vinegar
• 1 c sugar
• 1⁄4 c salt
• 2 dill flower heads
• 3 garlic cloves

Instructions

Bring to a boil water, vinegar, sugar, salt. Let cool. Place the rest of the ingredients in a sterilized jar and pour cooled liquid over them. Put in refrigerator and eat within 1-2 days or 1-2 weeks.

vacation & birthday week

i want to have a blog. i want to update this thing regularly. but time is just ticking and life is so full this summer. it is lovely, but it is leaving me with little time or energy to record the events. i vow to be better!

the last few weeks have been busy with getting ready for henny's birthday and our week long family vacation on martha's vineyard, then with living our actual vacation and henny's big day and finally with adjusting back to our life on the mainland. it was all so good.

we headed for the vineyard at the ungodly hour of 3:30 am. the only ferry that we could book was so early. everyone was in good spirits, though. it's hard to not be when you are driving toward such excitement.

we arrived on the island and drove off of the ferry at 7am. after a nice breakfast out, we headed straight to the beach. the beach that would become our beach, where we would visit at least once each day.
our vacation was one long week of a lot of simple pleasures.

there was a lot of this:
and this:
and this:
bee's greatest memory of the week, the thing that she tells everyone when they ask about her trip, was that we saw jellyfish. we went to a big beach with scary waves, and a jellyfish warning! it made quite an impression on bee to see the beautiful and dangerous jellyfish bobbing in the water, and to see the lifeguards treating people who had been stung!

we ate good food, and were bad vegetarians. this was my favorite meal. clams on the half shell, steamers, garlic bread with local tomatoes & cheese and tossed salad.

we rode our bikes almost everywhere. i think we only drove the car 3 times, only out of necessity. it was so nice and just a change of pace from our usual country commutes. the kids loved it too. henny would beg to "ride-a-bike!"

during the week, henny turned 2! he sang every note of "happy birthday" to himself, along with us. and then he sang and sang to himself all day long. he enjoyed the cake that we made him, the exact cake that he asked for. henny wanted a "cindy gail cake". cindy and gail are the lovely women that watch hen while i exercise at the y. they were born for their job, and henny just loves them. when we asked him (again and again!) what kind of cake he would like, he always said, "cindy gail cake". it was pretty hilarious and who could deny such a cute wish!

this trip was definitely one that we will all always remember. it may even be the first family vacation that henny remembers.

good memories. good food. good weather. good company. i love it.