Pickles Revisited

Most of my family LOVES pickles...and I must admit that I'm willing to take that to extremes sometimes. As my husband commented to the FB universe this summer..."My wife will pickle anything".
He's pretty close to the truth.

When it came harvest time this year - as characterized by having so much produce in the house that it causes fear and induces dreams of never eating anything but again - it is time to pickle.
To save some time for myself this year I used only the 2 brines that I used last year and posted here. What I changed was the veggies I used.

Into the Sweet'nSalty Brine I tossed:
Cauliflower florets
Zucchini
Kohlrabi
Daikon Radish
Beans
Pepper Slices

The Garlic Dill Brine got:
Cauliflower
Cucumber
and Beans

The beans were blanched after last year's beans shrivled after a few months. They were still tasty but didn't look very pretty. And, since I'd never pickled cauliflower before I did 50/50 blanched vs raw.

I have also made a late addition to the Garlic Dills....after picking the green tomatoes off of the vines at the end of the season, I put all of the green cherry tomatoes into the brine. I cut x's on the bottom of the tomatoes so that there would be a means for the brine to penetrate the tough tomato skin easier, and early taste-tests have proven to be pretty yummy!

Evan's Yummy Veggie Pancakes!

I've been a bit remiss over the past couple months...I've been creating some new recipes and not posting them here....I have been posting them on FB.
So, now I'm going to play catchup!

Evan's Yummy Veggie Pancakes
2 medium zucchini grated with some of the water pressed out
2 tsp fresh parsley
½ cup shredded cheese
¾ cup flour
½ cup corn meal
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
Salt and pepper

Use an ice cream dipper to scoop batter onto griddle drizzled with olive oil (or bacon fat if you are feeling decadent!) and press down to flatten slightly.
Cook to golden brown.
Serve with plain yogurt, salsa, apple sauce and/or sour cream.

All 3 of my boys think this is one of the BEST uses for all of the zucchini coming from our garden and the CSA!

Leana's Zucchini Gratin

Last summer during zucchini season, my friend Leana brought this dish over to dinner at least twice. My kids LOVED it, and it is EASY!!
So, on Fathers' Day this year, with several fresh zucchini from the Amish farmstand, I tried it out myself.

Leana's Zucchini Gratin
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion Chopped or Sliced thinly (preferably a sweet variety)
3-5 Small Zucchini cut in half and sliced into half-rounds.
Salt & Pepper to taste
Additional herbs optional
1/2 C shredded cheese of your choice

Warm a non-stick skillet and coat with the Olive Oil.
Toss in the onion add salt & pepper and stir to coat the onion with the olive oil.
Let the onion sweat for 3-4 minutes then add the Zucchini.
Cook the zucchini until it is tender - almost soft.
Toss in the Cheese, cover and let stand while the cheese melts.

Serve to very a very happy family!