skip to main content

Square Foot Gardening

Small Batch Pickle Recipe?

11 years ago

My little square foot garden only has 6 cucumber plants (growing up 2 bamboo teepees) but they still don't produce enough cucumbers to make a batch of pickles. Does anyone have a recipe for pickles (preferable sweet or bread & butter) that makes only one or two jars at a time?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

jodikay
11 years ago
Hi, i have a recipe that is called refrigerator pickles. it takes 8c of sliced cucumbers, mix in a bowl, cover and you just take what you want from it. they are awesome and will last for a long time (if no one takes from the bowl) and still taste great months later. let me know if this interests you. otherwise i could not find anything less than 7 pints. just to make a pint or 2 is a lot of work.

Jodi
howelbama
11 years ago
Jodi,

I'm interested in your recipe.

Mike
Related Discussions
Made first batch half- sour pickles
Q
Comments (2)
Another day may help at room temps. Only add the table spooon of white vinegar once you are sure they are tasting good. Mix it in too, so its not just at the top. The 'usual' bubbles are not going to happen much until after about 6-7 days. In this case, it may need a bit more time at room temps. Also, add a bit more fresh dill and garlic. Half sours, like the fully fermented are always going to taste a bit salty due to the brine. It can also be due to a bit too much salt. If you cut one of the fermenting cukes open and sample a slice right now, you may find that they have taken on a bit of the salt already, as their color changes from a fresh bright green to a slightly darker green in just a few days.. Cukes are about 85% water, so its like watering down a salty brine too, but if you think its too much salt, adjust it a bit. Bland, with little salt 'taste' is also no fun. Hang in there and give one of them a cut open in the middle and a slice to sample a piece. Yuu can leave them longer than a few days to if you like. If you have air conditioning and temps are at 70-75 degrees, its a little slower to start too. Kind of like what happens to yeast in breads. If left a week to bubble, they usually end up as sour dough. I'll try to walk you through this, unless I see another 'friendly reminder' from guess who... In the future, if you can find the origianl thread for these half sours, that someone else had started opened, it can also give you more insite and a concentration of info regarding these really good pickles. It has my name as the subject title, unless it was censored. BTW, I just picked 10 pounds of pickling cukes!! Nearly medum beat sized radishes, tons of lettuce and lots of broccoli, some at yellow flower stage due to my absence. These are first of many to come. If it were one more day, some cukes would be as big as small watermelons. Pickling cukes LOVE plenty of water. I was in the hospital this weekend and when I was out this morning, there was LOT waiting for me. Bees are plentiful, and are eagerly pollinating. Considering an attempt make a local bee home for them here, if all goes well. Isn't mother nature wonderful.. My grape tomatoes are now at 12 per stem, but still all green.
...See More
First Batch of Crock Pickles (ten days in...)
Q
Comments (35)
Everyone, thank you so much for all of your help. I will definitely do this again, next harvest. What I've learned: the cucumbers that I chose were too large. In my tastings, the smaller ones had far better texture. I will use a different variety for the "huge" dills that I love. (Thank you for the recommendation, ksrogers.) They are not at all difficult to make. They do require a little bit of diligence, but even less diligence than "sea monkeys" do. The taste of these is absolutely better than fresh pack pickles, though not as impressive as I expected. Next year, I will use MUCH more dill. And, it is not necessary to buy that HUGE, beautiful crock that I was lusting after....I've got a very inexpensive aluminum stock pot that I lined with a food-grade plastic bag, and a little math tells me that I'm about $150 ahead... Carol, Jim, and Ksrogers, thank you, again, for you patience and advice on this. I was more worried about them being "safe to eat" than I realized, and your comments were both helpful and reassuring! Alright. My bread is in it's final rise, so I'm heading back to the kitchen! Wishing you all a wonderful afternoon, John Scott Smith
...See More
Small batch of okra pickles?
Q
Comments (9)
Ate a pod last night. Unbelievably good! Brine was white vinegar and water, a bit of salt. Added some dill and and pickling spice, a garlic clove. No sugar. One very hot red pepper of no known name. 1/4 tsp pickle crisp in the pint. They were very loosely pack raw with boiling brine and the next day I added a couple more pods when they were ready. Next year I am filling up the sunnier garden with okra and protecting it from bunnies! Man I wish I had more!
...See More
My first batch of pickles!
Q
Comments (19)
Only tip I have is to remember to adjust for altitude :-). First jam I ever made was with a couple bags of mixed berries from the frozen food section, box of SureJell pectin and sugar using the recipe in the pectin package. With fresh peaches don't forget the fruit fresh (or vitamin C). I want to try the habanero gold jelly recipe.over on harvest and try canning peaches. I just need to coordinate my free time. Mary - Is it anything like this one from the Harvest forum Apricot-Pineapple Conserve 1 1/2 cups finely chopped dried apricots 1/2 cup golden raisins 1 1/4 cup strained fresh orange juice 2 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple 1 tablespoon grated orange zest (or more, to taste) 4 cups sugar 1/2 cup sliced almonds (I omitted) 1 (3 oz) pouch liquid pectin In stainless or enamel pan, mix apricots, raisins, orange juice, and lemon juice. Let stand 2 hours. Add undrained pineapple and orange zest. Stir in sugar. Heat stirring constantly till the sugar dissolves. Stir in almonds. Increase heat and bring to a full boil. Stir in pectin and return to a boil, stirring. Boil, 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim foam. Allow conserve to cool about 5 minutes to keep fruit from floating. Stir gently to distribute the fruit. Put into jars (makes 6 half pints.) Leave 1/4 inch headspace. Cover with hot lids and process half pints in bwb for 10 minutes, or 15 minutes for pints. Below is a link to Splenda's Jam recipes. Another option is to use Pomona's pectin (I haven't used it, but it will apparently gel anything and you can use as little sugar as you want or use a sugar substitute like Splenda) We need a canning party! jen Here is a link that might be useful: Splenda Jam recipes
...See More
jodikay
11 years ago
Mike, here is the recipe:
8c sliced unpeeled cucumbers
- place in a bowl and add 1 medium sliced onion
tie in a bag(something like cheesecloth):
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp dill seed
1 heaping tsp of pickling spice
- put in the bowl with the cukes
mix together real good:
2 tsp salt(I used table salt)
1 1/2 c sugar
1 3/4 c vinegar(I used apple vinegar)
- Pour over the cukes and spices.
Cover and store in the refrigerator indefinately.

I put mine in a plastic ice cream pail or a tuperware bowl with a cover. Whatever will fit on my shelf. They never last long! Let me know how they turn out for you.

Jodi
howelbama
11 years ago
Thanks Jodi, I can't wait to give them a try. Going to be a couple of weeks before I have some cukes to try, but I will report back when I make a batch :)

Mike
kumquat1
11 years ago
Really, really small batch recipe:
After eating all the pickles out of the Clausen jar (we love their refrigerator pickle)I slice some cukes out of the garden and put them into the jar with the Clausen juice and spices. Put in the fridge. They will keep till you eat them all.
momstar
11 years ago
Try this recipe. It makes one quart at a time.

Here is a link that might be useful: one jar at a time pickles
smichel
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for the recipes. Does it make a difference what kind of cucumber you use? Mine are really weird! - they are fuzzy! I tried peeling them and using a pickle recipe and they are limp and soggy. Would it help to soak them in lime 1st? I think I might try buying some regular ones at a farmer's market instead.
Here's a picture of one of my baby FUZZY cucumbers (the fuzz gets less as they grow bigger but they still but they still have a "peach fuzz" on them when mature:

And they are all different shapes! Some are crooked and others are straight! I should have kept the tag since I wouldn't want to plant this variety again.
SaladQueen
11 years ago
Maybe some grew hanging from your supports, and grew straight, and others were leaning on something, and so curved? That's usually why this happens.

Related Stories

KITCHEN DESIGN 5 Home Cooks Share Their Favorite Family Recipes

By Stacy Briscoe

Peek inside the kitchens of these Houzz users and learn how to cook their time-tested, passed-down dishes

KITCHEN DESIGN Sweet Ideas and a Truffle Recipe from a Chocolatier's Test Kitchen

A $2,100 budget didn't mean a half-baked kitchen redo; this confectioner just rolled up her sleeves and rolled out the improvements

KITCHEN DESIGN World of Design: Favorite Recipes From Food Lovers Around the Globe

Travel with your tastebuds and experience for yourself these international foodies' favorite dishes

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Recipe for Asian Edible Garden Style

A surprising number of food plants are hiding out in Asian-themed landscapes. Add a few more and extend the Zen flavor to the kitchen

KITCHEN DESIGN Kitchen of the Week: A Cooking Maven's Small Kitchen

By Vanessa Brunner

A food blogger shows that an amazing meal can be whipped up in any size kitchen with the right tools, storage and attitude

KITCHEN DESIGN Get Your Kitchen ‘Bake Off’ Ready

By Amanda Pollard

Make it easy to whip up a cake or a batch of cookies with these tips for organizing your space

KITCHEN DESIGN Houzz Call: What’s Cooking in Your Kitchen?

By Stacy Briscoe

Most of us turn to recipes, videos and culinary shows when we cook. Where do you set your cookbook, tablet or TV screen?

Houzz Gifts: 31 Finds for the Chef Who Has Everything

Delight serious cooks with the latest in kitchen gadgets, accessories, cookware and small appliances from Houzz

COTTAGE STYLE My Houzz: Creativity Flows in a New Hampshire Cottage

By Rikki Snyder

Simplicity and natural surroundings provide inspiration for an artist’s work and for her home’s peaceful, pretty interiors

KITCHEN DESIGN Double Islands Put Pep in Kitchen Prep

By Lisa Frederick

With all that extra space for slicing and dicing, dual islands make even unsavory kitchen tasks palatable

Sponsored