Shoot, this is turning into one of those annoying recipe posts where the food blogger tells a non-related story then goes into 40 paragraphs about things so the ads have time to load on your website - non-intentional of course because we don’t have ads and don’t actually even know how that would work even if we wanted to. But we2 digress…

So, pickles in autumn. Not quite the seasonal treat this comforting time of year tends to bring to mind, but we’re sharing this recipe nonetheless because our farmers markets are still cranking here in Atlanta and with that, the most beautiful little pickling cucumbers, ready to be made into something special.

We love our farmers markets. Freedom Farmers Market (FFM) is a favorite - a place that makes us feel at home and like we belong among the people and food and farmers who work so hard to bring beautiful produce to our kitchens and tables. At FFM, our friends from Signal Mountain Farm3 show up at the peak of summer with tomatoes galore, a few other veggies, but also, truly, some of the most beautiful cukes we’ve ever laid eyes on. And one of us can never resist buying as many pounds as she can fit in her market tote whenever she spies them. So today - we’re sharing the famous4 dill pickle recipe.

A few tips before we jump in:

1. If you don't have a water bath canner to process your canned goods, make sure you have a preserving rack to put in the bottom of your stockpot so the jars don't rattle and crack. You can get these at your local hardware store (recommended over Amazon any day) or… on Amazon (we won’t judge).

2. Highly recommend a jar lifter to make the entire process much easier in terms of submerging and removing your jars from the hot water.

3. Turmeric is not necessary here, but why would you skip it when footnote 4 below states that these are blue ribbon winners. If you do go with turmeric (good on you!) keep in mind it stains easily (hands, countertops, bowls). Bar Keepers Friend will help get out of counters / sink if needed but just be mindful.

OK finally - the recipe!

DILL PICKLES
Makes about 6 jars. Wide-mouth, pint canning jars work best!

Ingredients
4 pounds pickling cucumbers (4 to 5 inches long) 
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 1/2 quarts boiling water
Fresh Dill (enough for ~3 sprigs per jar)
Fresh Garlic Cloves, sliced in 1/2 (enough for 2 cloves per jar to your preference)
2 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)
2 1/4 cups water
3 tablespoons non-iodized salt

Instructions

1. Rinse cucumbers with cold water. Trim ends and cut lengthwise in halves or quarters. You can also do rounds! 

2. Place cucumbers in large bowl* and sprinkle with turmeric, if using. Pour boiling water over cucumbers, stir in turmeric and let sit for at least an hour. Rinse cucumbers well.

3. Prep and clean your mason jars, add dill, garlic, and cucumber spears. Trim ends of any cucumbers that did not fit and put cut ends in a separate jar with dill and garlic.

4. Mix your brine of vinegar, water and salt (very important to use non-iodized - we like Diamond or Morton's kosher salt) in a sauce pan and stir over medium-high heat until salt is dissolved. Remove from heat.

5. Ladle hot brine over cucumbers, leaving 1/4-inch of space at the top of the jar. Remove any air bubbles from inside of jar with a wooden skewer or chop stick - do not use metal for this part. Dry rims and add lids then tighten bands to secure jars.

6. Process submerged jars in simmering water for 12-15 minutes.

7. Remove jars from water and line up on a towel-lined countertop or cooling rack, cover with dishtowel and let cool for 12-24 hours. You'll know they're ready when you hear the seals pop (best sound of summer)! Store in a cupboard until opened or in the fridge to guarantee crispy spears.

If you make them, will you let us know?

‘Til then, thanks for following along on this little journey of ours. Stay tuned for our next MF meetup!

Only a few tickets for our pottery painting class on Tuesday, October 8th with our friend and fellow creative kindred spirit, @houzz_of_tau. Grab your spot while you can!

Buy a Ticket

Why didn’t I think of that?

Have you ever returned from a vacation or a fun night out with friends, only to find yourself with random mementos—ticket stubs, matchbooks, a cute cocktail napkin, a Playbill? You toss them in a drawer or let them linger for weeks, before reluctantly throwing them away with a touch of sadness. But what if there was a simple, genius way to give those memories a second life? Feast your eyes on this genius idea!

We’ll be over here playing with our scanners if you need us.

Later, MFers!

Picture a chill night with a glass of wine, candlelight, and maybe a little autumn jazz playlist as you paint to your heart's content. Perfect for a salt dish or trinkets or... a gift!

The details:

• Tickets are $85. This includes all painting supplies and instruction. We'll also have some wine to share as we work.

• Making pottery is a long process, therefore we won’t actually form the pots from clay. This event will be solely focused on the painting and personalizing of your pre-made pottery dish that you will select that evening.

• PLEASE NOTE: Your creation won’t be ready to go home with you that evening as it will need a final round in the kiln. We’ll notify you when your piece is ready and connect you with KT (our instructor) to pick it up from the studio at your convenience.

This will be a smaller intimate group of 10 max (don't worry, it won't be our last), so grab your spot now! Hope to see you there, MFers!

Buy a Ticket

“Did we just stumble into a crafting club?” - overhead at the Making Friends embroidery event

Yes! We started Making Friends because we love to make things with other people who also love making things. It’s that simple. Our vision is to connect with kindred spirits across the city who are looking to inject a few hours of creativity into their lives. 

We believe something special happens when people sit around a table and create. And so far, this has proven to be true. Ultimately, we want to orchestrate events that teach, inspire, entertain, and create community. 

After only two events, it has become evident that we need a way to keep the community aspect of Making Friends alive in between events. So, we’ve decided to ditch our email marketing tool and move to Substack.

Why Substack?

Substack will not only provide a way for us to communicate with you about upcoming events, but it will also provide a forum for fellow MFers to communicate with one another. You can share photos of your latest creations, propose ideas for future events, or share updates on things you’re making. We’ll occasionally share fun stuff in between events as well. 

So, you’re getting this email because you previously opted into our mailing list using our old tool, and your address has been migrated to our new Substack.

Please note that, just like all email tools, you can unsubscribe at any time.

Where have you been?

We took the summer off to tend to other life business. But, we’re working on building the calendar for the remainder of 2024! We’ll have that published soon, so stay tuned for more fun opportunities to Make Friends!

After all, attending a Making Friends event could save your life (gift link).

Later, MFers!