Refrigerator Pickle Experiment

This summer I was interested in trying my hand at preserving some food during the summer season. Unfortunately, my efforts at a garden were somewhat stumped by limited space and some harsh rain storms in late spring.



However, thanks to a well-stocked produce store in town, I was able to try pickling today. I used a simple recipe for Refrigerator Dill Pickles that I found online, with some pickling spice I picked up at the bulk store near our home. The process went surprisingly well, and at the end of a half hour, I had this:

I've always loved pickles, so this was the perfect thing to try first (I say this before tasting the final product, of course...). When I was younger, I remember fighting my brothers for the right to drink some of the pickle juice. Gross, huh?

While I was on a roll, I was also able to blanch and freeze some green beans that I found for a good deal, which added to the satisfaction of preseving and knowing what's in my food.

I'm looking forward to trying the pickles eventually, and am hoping they taste good too; that would be just the motivation I need to do more things like this in the future.