By guest blogger Susan Sprague Yeske,
Jack Baker was a man with a mission.
A retiree who likes to cook, he wanted to create the perfect pickle: one that was fresh and flavorful with just the right bite of vinegar and hint of dill.
Most importantly, he wanted it to stay crunchy while sitting in its jar in the refrigerator. Soft pickles are unappealing, he said.
Over the course of seven cucumber seasons Baker would begin to work when the Kirby cukes arrived at the Trenton Farmers Market in Lawrence, N.J. He experimented with recipes from cookbook after cookbook, taking ideas from some and discarding others.
His seven-year odyssey ended, he said, when he achieved the perfect pickle, one that draws raves from friends and family. “When I go fishing, my buddies won’t let me get on the boat unless I bring my pickles,” he said.
“When I go fishing, my buddies won’t let me get on the boat unless I bring my pickles”
The truth is in the tasting: they really are the best dill pickles I have ever tasted. And the crunchiness lasts and lasts and lasts.
Jack generously shares his pickle recipe with anyone who wants it, along with other favorite recipes he has acquired through the years.
He also shares another hint from a fellow pickle maker: adding a single grape leave to a jar of freshly made pickles will help keep them crisp.
Here is Jack’s recipe:
Jack’s Refrigerator Pickles
INGREDIENTS & EQUIPMENT
8 one-quart canning jars with rings and lids
14 heads of dill, divided, or 1 tablespoon dill seed per quart
16 garlic cloves
½ cup kosher salt
½ cup granulated sugar
2 ¼ cups white vinegar
3 quarts water
Kirby cucumbers 4-5 inches long (approximately 12 to 15 pounds)
HOW TO
- Brine: Mix together salt, sugar, vinegar and water and bring to a rolling boil.
- While waiting for the brine to boil, sterilize canning jars and rings in boiling water for 12 minutes. Place canning lids in a bowl of warm water and let them sit until ready to use.
- Once the jars are sterile, pack with dill, garlic and cucumbers sliced according to size and preferred thickness. Cover with hot brine. Seal jar with lids and rings and wipe edges dry. When jars have cooled, place in the refrigerator.
Yields approximately 8 quarts.
Pickles must be refrigerated and will maintain their freshness for up to 10 weeks or more.
I know I’ve said it before, but it’s really here. Summer, that is. The first local corn is coming in (none of that Su’thun stuff). I know for sure you can get some at 
Road (just down the road from the Pineville Tavern) this weekend and they were delicious (thanks, Sharon). 
I’m starting a new feature for the growing season. “Fresh from the market this week…” will alert you to the kinds of vegetables and fruits you can expect to find at area farmers’ markets. Hopefully it will help you plan the week and maybe even try some new things.
It’s hot and humid as I write this. I guess summer is finally here. No more squeaking by with this lovely San Diego-type weather we’ve been enjoying. I’ve been telling everyone that it will continue to be a cooler summer, and we are taking credit for it. Why? Because we recently installed two new air conditioners in our “mid-century modern” home (the original two got fried by a power surge). See? If y’all chip in, we’ll buy a snow blower to guarantee a light winter.
With cooperation from local restaurants, farms, food producers, and 
Betty is running a contest involving food and blogging. How could I not like it? If you haven’t heard, a movie-based-on-the-book is coming out in August called, “
Pardon my purple-stained fingers, but I’ve just finished picking the best black raspberries ever at Penn Vermont Fruit Farm in Bedminster.
As usual, lots of good things happening this weekend. I think the Linden Hill Farmers’ Market, which just opened at the end of May, has had the most rainy days. So, please, go check them out, Fridays from 3:30 to 7:30 pm in Ottsville.
The beer vats are the first thing you see as you step into this cozy restaurant. Coming around the corner into the dining area, the comfortable bar beckons. Everything about the place feels welcoming, and that’s just the way Gabe Bond, the general manager, wants it to be. He wants patrons new and old to feel welcomed in this microbrewery restaurant with a neighborhood feel.
Being fresh out of college, I still try to eat good food for cheap. I typically choose from the sandwich and appetizer menus. The Porterhouse’s roasted pork tenderloin sandwich is my favorite. Upgrade to the sweet potato fries and it’s meal-time heaven for less than $10. The Reuben sandwich is delightful, and the Black and Bleu Burgers are a favorite among my friends. For a light dinner that’s bursting with intense flavor, the Porterhouse salad is just the thing. In short, I’ve yet to taste anything mediocre here.
We needn’t have worried. Kimberly Kaufmann, of Slow Food Bucks County, and Kristen Perry, of the 
Hill Farm Kale Casserole and Milk House Farm Market Beet Salad, by Linda Jacobs of 
On our way to Perkasie, we passed 
Pasqualina’s has many delectable things, but let’s start with cheese since it’s my favorite, and their selection is deep and interesting (rivaling Wegmans). The market carries over 90 kinds of cheese – from Italian classics like asiago, parmigiano-reggiano, and mascarpone – to others from all over Europe. My newest favorite is Ravenno, a Dutch cheese with “the nutty, caramel flavor of parmesan yet the sweetness of gouda.” They’ve laid out small tasting stations throughout the store, with freshly cut pieces to try, and informational signs.
