Our #3 Daughter brought us some hugecumbers from one of her co-workers. A hugecumber is a cucumber that’s — ah, you’re way ahead of me — HUGE.

We don’t have any cucumbers in our garden this year because turtles, so we were very glad to get them. Nothing, of course, can eat fast enough to keep dill from flourishing, so we have plenty of that.

Here’s my recipe, from the Mirro All-Purpose Cook Book, which once belonged to my grandmother (your Aunt Lily, Donna!).

Dill Pickles

1. Select cucumbers about 5 inches in length. Wash them well and cover with salted water. (1 cup salt to a gallon of water.) Let stand overnight. Drain.
2. Pour boiling water over cucumbers while preparing the following:
   • 1/2 cup salt
   • 2 cups vinegar
   • 3 qts. water
   • Boil one minute.
3. Drain cucumbers, pack into clean, hot jars. Place dill and a bud of garlic in bottom of each jar. [Note: THANKS FOR PUTTING THAT IN REVERSE ORDER, MIRRO, RIGHT?]
4. Pour boiling hot mixture over cucumbers. Seal immediately.

[Also note: I sliced these before I soaked them in salt water. Actually, Charlie sliced them.]

In a big jar like this, I put a clove of garlic and a bit of dill weed at the bottom and another towards the top.

I keep these in the refrigerator for as long as they last, which isn’t usually very long.

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character has to follow directions that aren’t very clearly or effectively written.

MA