Book Entry 156 1981 Homemade Relish and Pickles

The summer of 1981 I decided I was going to learn something new.  Larry's aunt, Wanda Jantz, had given me a wonderful relish recipe.  The main ingredient for the relish is zucchini squash.  I mastered it in one try.  Everyone loved it.  Adam even ate it on his scrambled eggs one morning.  I figured since I succeeded with relish how hard could pickles be.  

 My Aunt Kathleen made good dill pickles.  Larry loves dill pickles so I took a try at it.  I had to prepare the cucumbers by immersing them in a crock full of a mixture containing vinegar, salt, and other spices.  The pickles needed to soak for several days.  I thought I had done everything right.  The kids and Larry were checking on the crock full of soaking cucumbers everyday. 

When the day arrived for the canning of the pickles I opened the crock and did whatever I was suppose to, I can’t remember if I cooked them first or not, but when I tasted them they were terrible!

Our garbage disposal didn’t work well.  I didn’t want to clog it with my pickles.  Instead of putting the pickles in jars to keep I took them out to the pig pen and poured them in the trough. It is well known pigs will eat anything!  I wanted to get rid of the evidence and hoped no one remembered it was time to put the pickles into the jars. 

Once the pickles were out of the house I scrubbed that old crock with soap, rinsed it with Clorox, and scrubbed it again.  I put the crock out in the shop where no one would see it.   I assumed the evidence would soon be gone.

About two hours later Adam and Larry came into the kitchen with funny grins on their faces and soon burst into laughter.  When Larry pointed to where the crock had been sitting on the counter and asked about the pickles I knew I had been caught!  Yes indeed, although I’ve been told there is nothing a pig won’t eat, I proved that statement wrong.  Even the pigs wouldn’t eat my pickles! 

Larry and Adam insisted I needed to look in the pig pen.  When we got there the pig trough still had all my pickles in it.  The pigs were all on the opposite side of the pen.  They wouldn’t even go near their trough.  Poor Adam had to scoop out all the pickles and rinse the trough completely  before he dared to put the pigs real dinner in it!

I still make Wanda’s relish and it is loved by everyone.  I must confess I never attempted dill pickles again!