Candle Mat Finished

It's been a busy week here at the cottage!  My teenagers are back to school...no more sleeping until noon or late nights for us.  The first week always seems to be a challenge as everyone adjusts to the new routine.

But for me, it means long, quiet mornings with a good cup of coffee and plenty of time for stitching. (That is once they board the bus for school!)  This week I finished this "Autumn Blessings" Candle Mat which is now listed in my Etsy shop:

And of course, there is still plenty of canning to do here as well!  This weekend I'm making Picallili (Green Tomato Relish), so I'll be sure to share that with you as well in a day or two.  Have a great weekend!
~Kim

Finished Projects

I've recently finished stitching a couple more items for Autumn:

For this towel I chose to use "Butterscotch" homespun cotton plaid.

And of course, I finished another pillow tuck:

I love this little black cat peeking out from behind the pumpkin!  This is another pattern from Homespun Elegance that I just adore.  I also opened my Etsy shoppe and now have some of my Autumn items listed.  I hope to add more on a regular basis so please, stop by and have a peek!

~Kim

Kosher-Style Dill Pickles

This weekend I canned Dill pickles and Bread & Butter pickles, and I have enough cucumbers left to start the seven day process for Sweet Pickles! Today, I'm sharing with you my recipe for Kosher-Style Dill Pickles pictured above. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

8 pounds cucumber approximately 3-4 inches in length with ends sliced

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup canning salt (not table salt!)

1 quart vinegar

1 quart water

3 Tablespoons pickling spices (I tie these in cheesecloth)

2-1/4 Tablespoons Alum (keeps 'em crunchy!)

Combine sugar, salt, vinegar and water in a large sauce pot. Tie spices in cheesecloth; add to vinegar mixture; simmer 15 minutes add Alum.

Pack cucumbers into hot jars and add the following to each jar:

1 Bay Leaf

1 Clove of Garlic

1 piece hot red pepper

1/2 teaspoon Mustard Seed

1 Head of Fresh Dill

Bring vinegar and water to a boil. Pour hot liquid over cucumbers, leaving a 1/4-inch head space. Adjust caps. Process pints and quarts for 15 minutes in boiling water bath.

Yield: about 7 pints

Note: I used about a 1/2 bushel, or 2 peck baskets, of cucumbers. I had to make two double batches plus one single batch of liquid and I got 19 quart jars.
Happy Canning~
Kim