Dill Pickles

Over the February holiday, I was in northern Manitoba and visited Mom’s friend who is 95 years old this year and looks fabulous. We had a delightful visit as Emily reminisced about Nellie.  I love those wonderful feel good reminisces of my Mom with her as they are always filed with great stories and laughter!  Although she is a picture of health, her eye sight is falling and after her home remedy treatment of a bruise resulting from a nasty fall, she is  convince that her home remedies are mproving her eyesight.. Her rational can not be agreed with as she questions how pioneer survived without medical treatment, if not for home remedies!  

Her daughter Hope filled me in with local news and also gossip and most sadly of the funeral that day of a two month infant who died of SIDS.  As I left  their place, Hope gave me a parcel of home made cheese and potatoes peroghies, butter tarts and a pint sized jar of pickles..

Hope preserves her dill pickles in pints as she loves opening a fresh jar of pickles for a meal.  She feels that opening a larger jar and then storing the pickles in the refrig that the pickles are not as nice and also become stronger in taste.  

Here is her recipe which others use in the village and are great to take to a BBQ.

Scrub and wash the fresh young cucumbers.

Fill the jars tightly with the cukes and fresh dill

Garlic cloves to taste.  Hope puts a lot of garlic cloves into each pint!

Brine solution

21 cups of water

1 cup of sugar

1 salt- Hope says she uses a bit less than a cup full of salt  

Bring brine to a full boil then pour over the cukes. The heat of the brine will seal the pickles but she keeps the jars in a refrigerator.

The well water that they used to use to make pickles has been legendary as to the quality of great pickles! Sadly this well is not being used any more! Jonathan was pleased to receive the jar of pickle.. I wonder if they tasted as good as they looked!

Saint Valentine

Valentine is known to be the patron saint of love, however, on the web, I also found that he is the Patron Saint of bee keepers, engaged couples, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, plague, travellers and young people.  Valentine, a Roman Priest, was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity.  I am not too sure when Valentines become so commercial i.e. our papers this week are filled with ads for red roses, champagne, red meat, boxes of chocolate and sexy lingerie?  I did see Valentine products in the store as the Christmas decorations came down

When I was in Puerto Rico last year on Valentines Day, old San Jose burst in colors of red and pink as all the stores and street corners were decorated in flowers and balloons.  Old San Jose was the place to be in the evening, one could not move on the crowded streets. The restaurants were packed and lines of people waiting for taxis for hours were jovial as they chatted to one another.  Everyone greeted you with “Happy Valentines!”

In the old Cathedral in San Jose at mass, a special blessing was offered to young and old couples. Yet families were very much present in the church and on the streets of San Jose.  The spirit of togetherness and love was in the air!

This Monday, I read with great sadness of an elderly woman found frozen to death in her shanty that she heated with a wood stove, her face to the door.   My heart when out to her in her final hours as she lay on the floor.  What were her final thoughts or prayers? 

A comment in the Edmonton journal article “When a Woman Falls in Our Community, Do We Hear Her?”, made me reflect on elderly right, choices and societies role, but also about being alone and forgotten by all but a few.

To my surprise when I goggled to find the story, she was not the only one who froze to death in their home in Canada this past week. 

 As I ponder on the true meaning of Valentines, I could not help but  think of these unfortunate people, our networking of friends and family and how Valentines commercialism has profited on our emotions and feeling of wanting to be loved!

I’m not saying that I don’t love to be pampered with a great meal and flowers, but there is so much more to Valentine’s Day.

For many Valentines can be a bitter reminder of the loneliness of being alone.  Yet, we can still celebrate the true meaning of Valentines.  We can do something special for a person in our life; the cousin, the aunt, the uncle, the nephew, the niece, the parent or friend who has been there for you when ever you need them.  The true meaning of Valentines is just not reserved for that significant other, but the expression of love for those that are there for you in your life.  

So dress in red, decorate your place, make some cheesy Valentine cards, plan a special meal and invited those that are important to you!

This year, I plan to spend my Valentines in Manitoba with my brother, visiting my aging aunt and visiting a young family, who just may have a baby born on St Valentines!  All thanks to my loving husband who in the true spirit of Valentines is allowing me to do so!! 

This is a Valentine card that I made for my relatives years ago!

  

just for you