Math is Real Life - September 2014 Edition

 I am happy to once again join up with the fabulous linky hosted by Miss Math Dork, 4mulafun, The Teacher Studio, and Teaching to Inspire in 5th! 

School has officially started and fall is in the air. Though I am sad to see summer end, there is just something about fall...

What's not to love??

One of my favourite things about the end of August is harvesting the garden. As some of you know from an earlier post, my dream garden did not come to fruition this year, but I found the next best thing. A u-pick garden (amazing idea) just 5 minutes from my house.

When we went to check it out we weren't sure what we might get, but once we saw the variety and multitude of fresh veggies at our finger tips, it was hard to stop picking. Our biggest haul was 25 pounds of pickling cukes at $1.10/lb (much cheaper than our local farmer's market).

Now, I love pickles, but I have never attempted to make them before. With 25 lbs of cukes sitting on my counter I didn't have much choice but..........to call my mom.

As a child I remember going into our basement pantry and seeing jars upon jars of pickles, tomatoes, jams, jellies and more, so I knew I was dealing with a seasoned pro. Especially when she showed up with recipe from a special edition of Better Homes and Gardens from 1977!!

First we started by squeezing the cukes into the jars along with some garlic, dill and pickling spice.

Next we needed the pickling solution. We brought 3 quarts water, 1 quart vinegar, 3/4 cup salt, and 3/4 cup sugar to a boil. Once it was up to temperature, we then poured the solution into the jars up to the rim and put on the lids.

Canning can be a tricky business, as you plan to store these items for a fairly long period of time without any type of refrigeration. It needs to be done right, so that nothing spoils. Spoiling would lead to wasted food or sickness. Technically if your solution is hot enough, the jars should seal within the next few hours. However, after years of experience, my mom swears by placing the jars in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, just to be on the safe side.

Voila - we have pickles! Well technically they need about 2 weeks to fully pickle. We've already sampled them, as my husband isn't the patient type. They were delicious! Nothing compare to home-made!

We even went on to make a few jars of bread & butter pickles using the larger cukes that we picked. YUMMMMM!

Hopefully we have enough to last through the winter, but at the rate my husband and son are eating them, we may go through these fast!

Now I wonder how much money we saved by making them on our own vs. buying them at the store???

'Til next month,