Weekend reading

I took advantage of the Aldi special on cucumbers this week and bought 10 continental cucumbers for 79 cents each. It's good to stock up on bread and butter cucumbers when you can. They're one of the easiest pickles you can make.  All you need are the ingredients below, a few sterilised jars and lids and a bit of time.

I used a mandolin to cut the cucumbers and for this amount I placed them in two large bowls. Cover with salt and make sure most of the slices have some salt on them. It drains the juice from the cucumbers so it doesn't dilute the vinegar solution that will preserve them in the jars. Let them sit for about 4 hours, then wash the salt off under a tap and drain the cucumbers in a colander.  Pack the slices into your sterilised jars and cover with the following preserving liquid.

RECIPE FOR SPICY VINEGAR

You'll have to judge how much of this you make according to how many jars you need to fill.  I used:

• 3 ½ cups good quality white vinegar
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons mustard seeds 
• 1 tablespoon celery seeds
• ½ tablespoon cracked pepper
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• dill and chilli pieces are optional but they add flavour to the mix

Place everything except the dill and chilli into a saucepan and bring to the boil, stir to dissolve the sugar and simmer for a couple of minutes. Pour the hot liquid into the jars, making sure you cover the slices completely.  If you're adding dill and chilli, add it while you're loading the jars. Put on the lids, wash the jar under the tap to remove any liquid, turn the jars upside down to sit on the lid for an hour or so then turn them back again and allow to sit on the kitchen bench overnight.  These will keep in the fridge for six months. You can start eating them the following day but the flavour gets better if they sit for a while.

It's been wonderful seeing the interest in The Simple Home series I started a couple of weeks ago. I love the sharing and encouragement that's happening in the comments. Don't forget to come back on Monday when we'll tackle customising your work spaces and looking after what you own.  

I hope you have a great weekend. Take advantage of any spare time you have to put your feet up and look after yourself.

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