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DIY: fermented refrigerator pickles

2017 July 6

remember like forever ago when i teased y’all with my SO EASY homemade refrigerator pickle recipe. well like one million days later here it is. (I’ve just been all about the felt crafts + getting ready for my first year teaching kindergarten in the fall and have not wanted to sit down even for the 9 minutes it’ll take to write this post. so that’s what the hold up was all about)

anyway, pickle time !!

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  1. first you’ll need baby “pickling” cucumbers. not the big daddy ones from the reg grocery store. I got these at canino’s farmer market on airline. I forgot how much they were, but remember at the time being like, wow they’re are so cheap. first i scrubbed and washed them. then i gave them an ice bath before they got cut up and crammed into jars.

IMG_1550        2. this might be more like step one and can be done before the ice bath, anyway cut the butts                   off. the stems make for a non-ideal pickling situation.

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3. here are the hodgepodge of jars i scrounged from my kitchen. since they’re “refrigerator”                    pickles and not going through the real canning process it doesn’t really matter what kind of               glass jars you use.

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4. the only other important/main things you’ll need – besides the cucumbers themselves are                  “canning/ pickling” salt and not-houston-tap water. that box of morton salt was SUPER cheap at HEB. regular table salt has anti-caking agents that can make the water/salt brine cloudy, so you need this special kind. ALSO i used regular tap water (you don’t really love houston unless you drink tap water) that had been left out for 24+ hours. this is the same thing i do for kombucha and it’s worked fine for me for years – otherwise feel free to buy i don’t know – fancy water from the store.

okay so to make the brine, I used 1 Tablespoon of fancy salt to 1 cup of fancy water. supposedly if you’re doing bigger batches you can ease up on the salt a little BUT it was just easier for me to make this ratio again and again. so yep.

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5. i got a little fancy and used a potato peeler to peel stripes of cucumber skin off before cutting            them into 1/2 inch disks / coins / heck, pickle shaped rounds. please say you know what i’m                talking about.

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6. last thing to do before stuffing in the cucumber pieces, i placed some peeled whole garlic                     cloves and fresh dill in the bottom of the jar. this will add flavor to the cucumbers + salt +                   water.

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7. super last step is to stuff those babies into the jars. it’s best, i’ve found, to do this is a semi         ordered fashion otherwise you’ll get huge gaps which isn’t the end of the world but you know,         why have less pickles in a jar when you could have more.

do the good ole “turn it upside down and see if they all stay crammed in there”test. if they                    don’t, rearrange. then fill the jars up with the salt/water brine. you want to make sure ALL the            cucumbers are covered – any part of them above the surface is likely to mold.

Then screw the lids on and leave them on your counter (out of direct sunlight) to start the                    fermentation process. you’ll want to burp them (open the jars to relieve the pressure) at least              twice a day. after a day or two, depending on how warm your house is, give them a taste and if            you’re happy with them you can place the jars in your refrigerator where the fermentation                  process will slow down drastically. If not, leave them out another day or two, continuing to                  burp them often.

how easy is that ? they’ll last in your (or your friend’s refrigerator if you decide to give them as a gift) for quite a while. so what are you waiting for, although actually now that i think  about it, maybe cucumber season it already over for texas. yikes. anyway this method is literally the easiest thing EVER and heck, no cucumbers – why not use something you do have like green beans or radishes.

let me know if you end up making any of these or if you’re my friend in real life i still have a                 bunch of jars in my fridge i’d love to share with ya !!

houston events calendar: june 26 – july 4, 2017

2017 June 25
by dena

houston events calendar june 26 july 4 2017sorry i didn’t do a calendar last week. i was living it up in colorado // wyoming  and then have a one day turn around before the polish pickle festival in bremond, tx – which was just named the polish capital of texas. like WHOA. anyway hope this week’s calendar which goes through 4th of july makes up for it !! also, nick and penny GET READY for all the adventures !!

monday june 26, 2017:

tuesday june 27, 2017:

  • “body by broadway” (it’s a workout to broadways songs thing !!) . market square park . 6pm . FREE (it’s a once a month until november event btw)
  • totoro terrarium tuesday . honey art cafe shepherd at richmond . 5-8pm . $20 . i drive past this place all the time and never knew what it was about. guess it’s about totoro terrarium building. huh.
  • launch of “the story of buffalo bayou park” . brazos bookstore . 7-8pm . FREE
  • yoga . discovery green . 7:30pm . FREE

wednesday june 28, 2017:

thursday june 29, 2017:

friday june 30, 2017:

saturday july 1, 2017:

sunday july 2, 2017:

monday july 3, 2017:

  • FREE intro to improv class . BETA theatre . 6-7pm . FREE (at their new location 6701 capitol st) … nick? … penny? … have an excuse for us not to go to this one?
  • movie night: the sandlot . axelrad . 8-10pm . FREE
  • the village people !! . miller outdoor theatre . 8:30pm . FREE

tuesday july 4, 2017:

  • yoga . discovery green . 6:30 – 7:30pm . FREE . i’m a little skeptical of this happening on 4th of july BUT it says it’s happening on their website
  • summer symphony + fireworks  . miller outdoor theatre . 8:30pm . FREE
  • freedom over texas: hunter hayes . eleanor tinsley park . 4-10pm . $5 or just go around 9:30pm-ish and watch the fireworks for free on allen parkway

houston events calendar: june 12 – 18, 2017

2017 June 11
by dena

houston events calendar june 12 18 2017

i’m leaving saturday morning for a trip to CO // WY so it’s about to be bye y’all. i’ll be gone for five days and then am back for one, before leaving again for the polish pickle festival. yikes, bye forever for real. i’ll leave y’all with my own “polish pickle” recipe blog post though. so it won’t be the worst thing ever. anyway, here’s this week for ya.

monday june 12, 2017:

tuesday june 13, 2017:

wednesday june 14, 2017:

thursday june 15, 2017:

friday june 16, 2017:

saturday june 17, 2017:

  • food truck festival . 411 w 20th st . 11am – 5pm . $ // ?
  • instore: ruiners . cactus music . 3pm . FREE
  • nohate art show . the hardy&nance studios . 5-9pm . FREE
  • h-town get down . miller outdoor theatre . 8:30pm . FREE

sunday june 18, 2017:

houston events calendar: june 5 – 11, 2017

2017 June 4
by dena

houston events calendar june 5 11 2017i created this sunday night instead of playing dominoes with my fave bar staff. so if you’re reading this, you might owe me a mexican train or chicken foot game !!

monday june 5, 2017:

tuesday june 6, 2017:

  • yoga . 6:30 – 7:30pm . discovery green . FREE
  • neo benshi . the secret group . 8-10pm . $5

wednesday june 7, 2017:

thursday june 8, 2017:

friday june 9, 2017:

saturday june 10, 2017:

sunday june 11, 2017:

on going this week:

  • yoga . levy park . every week day at 6pm // weekends at 10am
  • pop shop houston summer festival . silver street . june 10 – 11 . $ // ?

 

houston events calendar: may 30 – june 4, 2017

2017 May 30
by dena

houston events calender may 30 june 4 2017

tuesday may 30, 2017:

  • yoga . discovery green . 6:30pm . FREE

wednesday May 31, 2-17:

thursday june 1, 2017:

friday june 2, 2017:

saturday june 3, 2017:

  • empty bowls . houston center for contemporary craft . 11am – 3pm . FREE + $
  • menil 30th birthday party !! . menil collection . 2-5pm . FREE
  • open studio: soft sculptures . CAMH . 2-4pm . FREE . DIY your own “soft sculpture” of a family member inspired by the current downstairs show
  • instore: phoebe hunt . cactus music . 6pm . FREE
  • flea by night . discovery green . 6pm . FREE
  • rally and candlelight vigil for TRUTH . eliabeth baldwin park . 6-9pm . FREE
  • ACCORDION KINGS . MILLER OUTDOOR THEATRE . 7PM . FREE . YAY YAY YAY !! they open up the orchestra pit for dancing !! all the polka-ing !!
  • compagnie XY . discovery green . 8-9pm . FREE
  • movie: secret life of pets . discovery green . 8:45 – 10pm . FREE
  • bombon quince 2017 . fox hollow . 10pm – 2am . ? // $

sunday june 4, 2017:

 

on going:

  • yoga . levy park . weekdays at 6pm + weekends 10am . FREE (i’ve been, it’s good)

 

houston events calendar may 22 – 29, 2017

2017 May 21
by dena

houston events calendar may 22 28 2017ooo la la, i added an extra day into this week’s calendar, a little bit as a birthday treat for my #1 FAN BOY nick and a little bit because it’s memorial day weekend. if you want to be happy for me, this is the week !! it’s the last week of school, i’m taking a little solo trip to the national polka festival in ennis, tx AND going camping with nick for his birthday !! all the things !!

monday may 22, 2017:

tuesday may 23, 2017:

  • yoga . discovery green . 6:30 – 7:30pm . FREE . go andrew go !!
  • avenida living art . discovery green (the “avenida” btwn DG and the GRB) . 7-9pm . FREE
  • tuesday night trivia (geeks who drink) . conservatory . 8-11pm . FREE . this would be a good reason to wish for more friends …

wednesday may 24, 2017:

thursday may 25, 2017:

friday may 26, 2017:

  • instore: max flinn . cactus music . 5:30pm . FREE
  • circo avenida . discovery green . 7-9pm . FREE
  • critical mass . market square park . 7pm . FREE
  • dancin’ in the street: motown & more (night 2) . miller outdoor theatre . 8:15pm . FREE .

saturday may 27, 2017:

sunday may 28, 2017:

  • peace camp houston 2017 fundraiser . east end street market . 10am – 2pm . $ // ?
  • instore: londale . cactus music . 3pm . FREE
  • madness on main: 4th annual music fest . white oak music hall . 4pm – 1am . $ // ?

memorial day weekend in general:

  • lavender festival . lavender ridge farms . gainesville, tx
  • NATIONAL POLKA FESTVAL . ennis, tx . I’M GOING !!

 

houston events calendar: may 15 – 21, 2017

2017 May 14
by dena

houston events calendar may 15 21 2017bad news y’all. i decided to make pickles over doing this blog post. EKKK. can i make it up to you by posting pictures of the pickle process? maybe in time for the polish pickle festival my family going to every summer. i’ll tell you more about that too. anyway, i’ll work on this post tomorrow after work !! and by after work i mean after zumba. BYE !!

monday may 15, 2017:

tuesday may 16, 2017:

wednesday may 17, 2017:

thursday may 18, 2017:

  • cultured cocktails with miller outdoor theatre . boheme cafe . 5-8pm . FREE
  • 19th st third thursdays – sip & summer . 19th street . 5-9pm . FREE
  • blanket bingo . market square park . 6pm . $10 +
  • craft social on third thursdays: make your own planter . hosuton center for contemporary craft . 6-8pm . $ // ?
  • dancing in the streets (free dance lessons) dance fitness + tango this week . discovery green . 7-9pm . FREE
  • thursday concert series: del castillo . discovery green . 7:30 – 10pm . FREE

friday may 19, 2017:

saturday may 20, 2017:

sunday may 21, 2017:

houston events calendar: may 8 – 14, 2017

2017 May 7
by dena

houston events calendar may 8 14 2017

our apples are getting so big at school !! YAY spring.

also, i went to austin last weekend for a 24 hour solo trip and oh man, i love houston most don’t worry, but austin has got the country dance scene down. if anyone knows good places to hear live country music AND DANCE let me know. maybe there are places right under my nose i’m not even aware of.

monday may 8, 2017:

tuesday may 9, 2017:

wednesday may 10, 2017:

thursday may 11, 2017:

friday may 12, 2017:

saturday may 13, 2017:

  • come see me + sample some “sipping sister” fermented food/ drinks . urbanharvest farmers market at eastside / richmond . 8:30 – 12noon . FREE
  • yoag . discovery green . 9 – 10am . FREE
  • puppies for breakfast . market square park . 10am . FREE + $5 donation
  • vintage SHOP pop up . hardy & nance studios . 12noon – 6pm . FREE
  • ice battle . discovery green . 12noon – 3pm . FREE (like ice carving with chainsaws i think  …)
  • weaving demonstration by melissa cody . houston center for contemporary craft . 12:30 – 3pm . $ // ?
  • instore: tee vee . cactus music . 1pm . FREE
  • houston grown: a celebration of tres anos . finca tres robles . 5:30 – 10pm . $ // ?
  • B L A C K I record release show . civic tv laborities . 9-12midnight . FREE

sunday may 14, 2017:

on going events this week:

  • madame butterfly . miller outdoor theatre . friday // saturday // sunday . 8pm . FREE
  • yellow rose comedy festival . warehouse live . 12- 13 . $ // ?

houston events calendar: may 1 – 7, 2017:

2017 April 30
by dena

houston events may 1 7 2017

sorry to let y’all down last week. i think i made up for it though, this week has like SO many things going on. also, if you sent me a private FB message thanking me for this here calendar thank you for dropping a line, it really made my day and made the hours i spent creating this week’s calendar go a little bit smoother. HA!

monday may 1, 2017:

tuesday may 2, 2017:

wednesday may 3, 2017:

thursday may 4, 2017:

friday may 5, 2017:

saturday may 6, 2017:

sunday may 7, 2017:

  • polish festival or hobbit cafe i guess it is …

on going events this week:

no events calendar this week. yikes.

2017 April 26
by dena

sorry y’all. i spent sunday in austin, or “our state’s capital” as i’m rebranding it. (that way i don’t have to feel so guilty for liking it). anyway, i drove up sunday at 6:30am with a co-teacher and spent the day doing “deep cut” austin things with a friend who lives in nashville now but called austin home for a while. and what the heck, the weather was perfect – the company was beyond perfect and it was over all a great 8ish hours there. we got sunburned at deep eddy springs/pool and drove with the windows down singing along to a george strait greatest hits album. we ate multiple tacos from multiple establishments and drank some lone stars at chicken shit bingo. danced cheek to cheek to a country band and drank some more beers at live oak’s newish tap room. a not so bad 3 hour drive and we were back inside the loop for bedtime. HA.

anyway. sorry to let you down, i’ll post a calendar for next week FOR SURE.