When we bought the seeds, I hadn't realized that "Cool Breeze" is considered a burpless, seedless variety. I selected it because it was described as having fruits that set early, a French cornichon type (gherkin) that was pickling size, also great in salads, and best when picked 4-5" long. Since I knew I was going to want to make Linda's recipe again, I thought Linda Lou's recipe or a variation of it might do well with this cuke if I wanted to try to make gherkins or maybe small whole sweet pickles. (I have since come across the NCHFP recipes, which I may use to make 1-2" and/or 3-4" gherkins by picking earlier.) It wasn't until I was posting yesterday that I went back to read the catalog description and learned of its burpless & seedless nature...(apparently they mean when you pick them smaller than 4-5"). I became concerned, because I remember having read one of your postings, Ken, where you mentioned that burpless don't make good pickles. I just hope this batch is an exception. They seemed crunchy enough before processing. No hollow centers, no shrivelling either. Good thing I put a bit of Pickle Crisp into each jar before sealing! These burpless might otherwise get soft sooner than the other cuke varieties and our bottles don't tend to get consumed all that fast. What recipe do you use if you want to make gherkins? I thought it interesting that the NCHFP recipes calls for pricking the cukes with a fork during one of the brining soaks, I figure to let the flavor/vinegar/sugar in. I never noticed any holes in the store-bought gherkins! I'll have to make note of the varieties you're growing. Didn't know there's one called 'Heinz'. How many plants are you growing to be able pick 30 everyday? I thought 30 from my 4 little plants was pretty good and there's still little ones on the nodes I already picked from. Weirdly plentiful, but great if you want to make gherkins! I wish my Kirby's were more plentiful.

Yes, I saw the recipe for bread-and-butter jalapenos. That's what sparked my interest in other veggies done in this style. The recipe I used for my bread-and-butter squash is the one on page 144 of So Easy to Preserve, which states that squash can be substituted for the cucumbers in the original recipe on page 125. There isn't ANY water mixed with the vinegar in the brine. The recipe is as follows: 6 lbs yellow squash 8 cups thinly sliced onions 4 cups vinegar (5%) 4-1/2 cups sugar 2 TBS mustard seed 1-1/2 TBS celery seed 1 TBS ground tumeric (The lime soak was optional and the squash slices came out nice and crisp without it.) Add sugar & spices to vinegar, boil 10 minutes. Add well-drained squash & onions and reheat to boiling. Fill pint or quart jars with slices, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Fill to 1/2 inch from top with hot cooking liquid. Remove bubbles. Wipe jar rims, Adjust lids, process pints or quarts for 10 minutes in a Boiling Water Bath. Store 4-5 weeks before use to develop ideal flavor. I didn't really mean to imply I had to use this recipe for other veggies, but wanted to know which veggies COULD be used with it. Mainly what other veggies would taste/process well in a bread-and-butter style (with a tested recipe). I had never seen the jalapeno recipe before and just wondered what else I was missing out on!

In reading various threads about the Candy Jalapenos, I found one person who mixes really hot Jalapenos with Fooled You, the no heat kind. He says it keeps life interesting. Gotta love the sense of humor. For the intended gift recipients, I'll be using hot, hotter and killer. If I can ensure against air pockets I'm also going to include Purple Jalapenos that have ripened to red. They are tiny and so so pretty without being sliced. I'll cap them, then make sure their cavities are filled with brine. Dawn, I can only imagine the stress and fatigue setting in on you and the firefighters. Take care of yourselves, hear?

Ree ( Pioneer Woman makes the best! Cowboy Candy * 3 pounds Firm, Fresh Jalapeno Peppers, Washed * 2 cups Cider Vinegar * 6 cups White Granulated Sugar * one half teaspoons Turmeric * one half teaspoons Celery Seed * 3 teaspoons Granulated Garlic * 1 teaspoon Ground Cayenne Pepper Preparation Instructions Wearing gloves, remove the stems from all of the jalapeno peppers. The easiest way to do this is to slice a small disc off of the stem-end along with the stem. Discard the stems. Slice the peppers into uniform 1/8-1/4 inch rounds. Set aside. In a large pot, bring cider vinegar, white sugar, turmeric, celery seed, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the pepper slices and simmer for exactly 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers, loading into clean, sterile canning jars to within 1/4 inch of the upper rim of the jar. Turn heat up under the pot with the syrup and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 6 minutes. Use a ladle to pour the boiling syrup into the jars over the jalapeno slices. Insert a cooking chopstick to the bottom of the jar two or three times to release any trapped pockets of air. Adjust the level of the syrup if necessary. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp paper towel and fix on new, two-piece lids to finger-tip tightness. If you do not want to can these to the point of shelf stable, you can simply put the jars in your refrigerator and store them there. I prefer to keep the fridge space free so I can them. If you wish to can them, follow the instructions below. Note: If you have leftover syrup, and it is likely that you will, you may can it in half-pint or pint jars, too. It�s wonderful brushed on meat on the grill or added to potato salad or, or, or � in short, don�t toss it out! To can, place jars in a canner and cover with water by 2-inches. Bring the water to a full rolling boil. When it reaches a full rolling boil, set the timer for 10 minutes for half-pints or 15 minutes for pints. When timer goes off, use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a cooling rack. Leave them to cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours. When fully cooled, wipe them with a clean, damp washcloth, then label. Allow to mellow for at least two weeks, but preferably a month before eating. Or don�t. I won�t tell! Here is a link that might be useful: Pioneer Woman