Since the cucumbers just keep coming and coming, I decided to make pickles with my boys.  This adventure began after reading a post from Out of the Box Food.  I was unaware of what exactly was in store bought pickles, mainly because I do not like pickles so I just never paid attention, and was quickly dismayed by the use of artificial colors and corn syrup.   
The boys set about sorting and washing the cucumbers and I gathered all the ingredients we would need to make our very own pickles.  After sorting we determined that we had enough for 2 batches; one with whole pickles and another with spears.  This, of course, made my pickle loving boys very happy.  

This recipe is very easy to follow and incorporate the help of your child(ren) into all aspects.  The only part my boys did not help with was the actual cutting of the cucumbers.  While I trust them and do have them help slice things from time to time, I did not feel comfortable with them slicing the cucumbers.  I think the best part of this recipe, in my boys opinion, was the shaking of the jar each day.  I am glad that I made 2 jars because I could just envision the race each morning, and the potential argument, to be the "shaker" complete with a broken jar, cucumbers and spices all over my patio.

Yet another bonus of this recipe is that you can adjust the spices, within reason, to your liking.  For our first batch of pickles we followed the directions almost exactly, with 2 exceptions.  First I did not have any fresh garlic, so I used fresh minced garlic from a jar  and used about a teaspoon total.  The other exception is that I did not include the jalapenos.  I was nervous about the use  of the jalapenos, so I thought it would be better to just omit them all together.  

Both changes from the recipe did not affect how fast these pickles disappeared from my refrigerator.  The way my boys and even their "hard to please" grandpa clamored over the pickles I figured I should at least have a taste.  I was surprised, that I actually liked them so a second batch was to be made as the cucumbers were still coming in large numbers!  In the second batch I did decrease the amount of salt by just a bit because I was doing hamburger sliced pickles.  And they turned out very good as well.  So, play with the recipe to find what you like for you and your families healthy homemade pickles!  


The recipe for the Sun Pickles, courtesy of Out of the Box Foods, is located HERE.


Healthy Eatings, 




Rachel