Cooking in season: Refrigerator Pickles and Zucchini Barley "Garbage" Soup

Refrigerator Pickles
Ingredients:
12 3-4 inch pickling cucumbers, sliced
2 cups water
1 3/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
8 cloves chopped garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir and let set at room temperature for two hours. Remove the cucumbers and place into jars. Top with liquid until covered and seal tightly. Refrigerate for ten days before eating. Use within one month.
There can also be many variations to this recipe. If you want it spicy, add something like ancho peppers or crushed red peppers. If you like dill pickles, add fresh dill ad dill seeds. You can add pickling spice if you like that. Basically whatever you want to try, go ahead and add to your pickles. I am also going to try this recipe with green beans and see how that tastes. Be creative.

Refrigerator Green Beans

Ingredients:

5 oz. green or wax beans

1 pint jar with lid

1 clove garlic, peeled and quartered

1/2 tsp. coriander seeds

1 small dried chile

1/8 tsp. black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

1 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup white wine

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

Directions:

Arrange beans vertically in pint jar to see how many fit. Remove beans

and trim them to fit lengthwise in jars, leaving at least 1/2 inch

empty space at top of jar. Arrange trimmed beans in jar.

Stuff garlic, coriander seeds, chile, peppercorns, and bay leaf around beans.

Bring vinegar, wine, sugar, and salt to a boil and boil for 2 minutes.

Pour mixture over beans. Screw on lid and let sit until cooled to room

temperature. Refrigerate for 2 days or up to 6 months before eating.

Zucchini Barley "Garbage" Soup

Garbage soup is very similar to garbage pizza. Whatever you have leftover to cook with you throw into the soup. For this version of soup, I added zucchini, squash, tomato, mushroom, garlic and barley. I chopped it all up and threw it into a pot of water. Cook on low for a few hours, depending on how cooked you like your vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you like it spicy, add crushed red pepper or whatever you like really. Again, be creative.