Community Kitchen

Summer is here on the calendar but hopefully it will come. Spring was so wet and cold, the flowers are slow in coming. Our Sogetsu Ikebana group had our yearly outing , and we went to visit the Rose Garden at Stanley Park on the 17 th of June and very few roses were out. We took the horse and buggy ride and it was COLD! When the weather warms up, they do have a very beautiful garden with a great varieties of plants and it would be a nice place to visit.

The sun did come thru on Father’s Day so we were able to enjoy our first barbecue of the season. It was still unpredictable that I had the dining room table set up as well.

In 1968, we formed a Cherry Blossom group to raise money for the Richmond Hospital Auxiliary Association. At our meetings, we served refreshments and Sachi Shirakawa brought this Sweet Dill Pickles. Never liked the sour ones on the market but this was so good — made dozen of quarts every year and now I make pint jars for my husband and myself. It’s quite easy and even if you are not to canning, you might try them — it’s worth it.

SWEET DILL PICKLES

16 lbs. dill cukes — 1 recipe makes 11 to 12 quarts (I prefer the smaller size cukes)

Bring to boil:
I cup salt
4 cups vinegar
12 cups water
3 1/2 cups sugar

Pack the washed cukes in sterilized jars.
Add 1 clove of garlic and 1 dill weed.
Pour hot syrup over cukes–leave 1/2 inch head space.
Place lid and jar rings making sure the bottle rim is clean.
Process in 300 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Now, enjoy all year round.

SWEET PICKLES Mom Kita’s

Approximately 10 lbs or any amount dill cukes

Wash and cut the cukes about 1 inch long.
Place in dutch oven pan and add 1/2 cup salt brine and mix. Leave overnight.

Bring to boil:
2 cups sugar
1 cup vinegar
2 tsp. pickling spice.

Pack the cukes in jars and pour the hot syrup over and seal.
I like to make sliced carrot flowers and add them for color.
Depending on the amount of cukes, I keep making more syrup to fill the bottles.
Process in 300 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Helpful Hints:
When cooking vegetables that grow above ground, the rule of thumb is to boil them without a cover.
A lump of sugar added to water when cooking greens helps vegetables retain their fresh colour.
Never add baking soda to vegetables to keep their colour, since a lot of its nutrients will be lost.
Never soak vegetables after slicing; they will lose much of their nutritional value.
Perk up soggy lettuce by soaking in a mixture of lemon juice and cold water.
Keep bean sprouts and jicama fresh and crisp up to five days by submerging them in a container of water, then refrigerating them.