Hands down, the most quoted movie in our house is any of the VEGGIE TALES!
You silly little pickle….You silly little pea….
Playing with monkeys was the first thing you thought of?!?!
Jump really high?? Dad! The robo-pogo!
But Bob, they’re going to laugh at me….
We have watched almost all of the movies, and a few on repeat when the kids were little. (Yes, I can sign a lot of Veggie Tales songs…. Not sure if that should be put on my resume, or not?!) One summer, we also took our combined love of the shows and the food and created an entire Summer Camp about vegetables!!
Now, over the years we have developed quite a habit of quoting those quirky, animated Veggie friends, whenever the mood strikes. It is often when we are eating vegetables, or driving down the road, or hanging out with friends. But, especially, when we eat pickles!!!
So, there’s an episode about the Good Samaritan, from the early days when Bob still had a lisp, and he gets beaten up by some rotten asparagus thugs. He ends upside down in a pit, and since he does not have hands, he must rely on some other kindly Veggie to pull him out. Well, with each passer by, they mention something about that “Pickle” being stuck, but can’t help for various reasons. And, each time, Larry, in his cute lisp hollers back, “Uh, I’m a cucumber!” (It gets me every time!!)
I think you have the gist… every time we eat a pickle, we each take turns quoting poor, pitiful Larry. Which, really is funny if you eat pickles every now and then. But, unfortunately, we have had them almost daily.
The garden exploded with cukes, enough to probably feed an army of green-veggie-loving soldiers, plus our family. Most meals we have sliced, fresh cukes, along with some form of pickled or fermented variety. There are cukes on the counter. And in the fridge. In the pantry. In the chicken coop. Still on the vine in the garden. I bet I could write a country song….
I have given them away to friends, and the septic tank cleaner guy. I’ve canned pickles (which aren’t really my favorite…) Made gallons of refrigerator pickles (which really are my favorite!!!) I have even tested out a few fermenting recipes! And, today I have decided to share a few of these with you since I’ve got pickles on the brain!
Refrigerator Pickles
Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cups water (distilled or filtered water is best!)
-3 tablespoons white vinegar
-1 1/2 tablespoons of salt (sea salt is best, but I was out for the batch pictured)
-3-5 garlic cloves*
-Several sprigs of dill, fresh or dried
-Cucumbers cut to preferred size
-Peppercorns or dried hot pepper flakes, optional
1. Wash cukes and cut into the shape and size you prefer. Fill a quart-sized mason jar with as many cucumbers as you can without smashing or over-squishing, which tends to make soggy pickles.
2. Add salt, garlic cloves, dill, and peppercorns or pepper flakes if using to the jar.
3. In a large measuring cup, mix together 1 1/2 cups water and 3 tablespoons of white vinegar. Pour over cucumbers, cover the jar with a water-tight lid, and shake gently.
4. Place covered jar in the fridge for at least 2 days before devouring!
As I mentioned above, these refrigerator pickles are my favorite! I have heard they are fine in the fridge for 6+ months, but I’ve never had any make it that long. They are delicious!
*Just a heads up, I use quite a bit of garlic in this recipe and you can tell! I feel it is my civic duty to let you know that others will also be able to tell you’ve enjoyed these pickles. So, you can keep the recipe as is, since it is beyond yummy and gives you the health benefits of garlic! Or, you can reduce the cloves to 1 or 2 per quart…. (which I will never do, sorry to my in-person friends!)
Check out my next post, where I share my second favorite way to eat a garden fresh cucumber!
