Hello Ruth!
Saturday November 16 1996 02:36, Ruth Hanschka wrote to Ian Hoare:
 JP>> 4 lb Pickling cucumbers
 IH>> What are these precisely. Here we get cucumbers that
 RH> The 6" ones are the closest.  Real pickling cukes run between 2 and
 RH> 6" long,although commercial packers use bigger ones.
Thanks very much. I think probably gherkins are likely to be closest, if I 
let them grow a bit, or buy them big.
 IH>> buy from 1" to 3" long and pickle. I've never tried
 RH> Those would work too, left whole.  I'd recommend whichever is
 RH> cheaper.:-)
Cucumbers then , as gherkins are real expensive, they are a real pain to 
pick, hence the price.
 JP>> 8 ea Dill heads
 IH>> the needle like leaves almost all the length.
 RH> HUH?????  I've never seen dill like that.  I think the heads he's
 RH> talking about are the flower of the dill plant.
OH, I see. thanks. We get dill herb, as just the sprigs of the leaves, if you 
see what I mean. I've never seen the flower heads on sale, though I'm growing 
Dill in quantity next year - our mushroom and dill soup is a killer. That'll 
mean I can easily leave a plant to run up to flower. Would it be best to use 
the heads
          a) in flower
          b) just gone to seed but moist
          c) Dried, but still with the dry seeds on
do you think?
 RH>  Hard-core picklers in this country grow their own.
I've never tried pickling hard core...An interesting possibility.
Thanks a bundle Ruth.
All the Best
Ian
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