Pickled Cucumbers
My mom loves growing vegetables in the garden, so we'd often get baskets of cucumber and melons that we would never be able to finish in a week. So we pickle them. By pickling our cucumbers, we are able to preserve them for a little longer-- sometimes up to 4 weeks. Pickled cucumbers also make a tasty appetizer and afternoon treat. And it's easy too! Here's how we do it:
Rinse and slice the cucumbers. Leave the skin. The skin is great and it's perfectly edible. Then salt them for a few hours or overnight. Salting draws out the excess water in the cucumbers, leaving the cucumbers light and crunchy when we pickle them. For maximum crunchiness, try Persian cucumbers.
After at least an hour, wring the excess water from the cucumbers. Set them aside.
Next in a glass bowl or jar, combine equal parts vinegar and sugar. I use Heinz white vinegar. After a few minutes the sugar should dissolve. If not, just agitate the solution a little more. (Stir it) Note that you should not use aluminum bowls.
For a little kick, we add about 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil (heat it up in the pan until it starts smelling good) and a few fresh peppers from the yard.
Then soak the cucumbers in the solution for at least a day in the refrigerator and it's ready to eat! Don't leave them out for too long or they will turn yellow!
Canon 40D and Speedlite 580EX II
By the way, do you see that hideous SHADOW on the bananas? Know what? That can be corrected with the "bounce" feature in Canon Speedlites! I've been aching for one for the longest time. I read there was less recycle time between pictures. I hate waiting 30 seconds after every few shots with the built-in flash. But I'll probably get it AFTER I get a job, and AFTER I get a Canon 40D. Yes 40D, not the 50D. I'm not paying that much more for a few extra megapixels. But I guess I have to wait... Here are my dream babies:
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