larry the cucumber

Those who have spent any time in a church nursery will be familiar with the fantastic Veggie Tales.  It's exactly what it sounds like.  Anthropomorphized vegetables that act out and tell Bible stories.  Strange, I know.  But kids LOVE IT.  The silly songs, the simple morals at the heart of the stories.  I know children who have learned way more about God's love for them through Veggie Tales than any other medium in church.

Larry the Cucumber is one of my favorites.  I especially love the part he plays in the retelling of the story of Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego in the Book of Daniel.

I thought of Larry when Jeff's mom gave me a bag full of cucumbers from her garden the other day.  You can only get so far eating cukes on salads and as snacks, though.  I decided to try some pickles.  Jeff's stepdad has been raving about his special pickle "recipe."  There's not much to it, but it's a great way to have pickles at the ready if you love sour stuff like me.

Here's the method:

Start peeling and thinly slicing cucumbers, layering them into a quart-size mason jar until it's about half to two-thirds full.  Add 1 T salt and equal parts vinegar and water.  I also cut up a bunch of dill from our CSA box and put it in there for flavor.  Put the lid on and shake shake shake.  Put them in the fridge and enjoy.  The best part is you can just keep adding more cucumber slices as it gets lower - perpetual pickles!  We've been eating them on pulled pork, cheeseburgers, grilled cheese, and just as a snack!