National Pickle Day is November 14th.
Finding elderly care in Fort Myers and Cape Coral can “Put you in a pickle.” Basically, it’s not easy and you need help to find excellent elderly care. Abby Services can help!
So just to get it out of the way, it was not easy tying elder care in Fort Myers to National Pickle Day. For those not familiar with the phrase “In a pickle.” it refers to someone being in a difficult position where there is no good answer.
Why is it hard to find elderly care in Fort Myers?
In the Fort Myers and Cape Coral area seniors and their families seeking elder care are in a bit of a pickle. At its simplest, it is a matter of supply and demand. Fort Myers and Cape Coral have a large number of people seeking elderly in-home care. When this is combined with a national caregiver and labor shortage it puts everyone in a pickle.
Don't stress though, The Abby Services team are experts in elderly care in Fort Myers and Cape Coral.
Abby Services is one of our area’s oldest elderly care services. We have been helping local residents stay in their homes and independent by matching them with excellent elder caregivers since 1997. The time we have been in the area has allowed us to develop an extensive pool of in-home caregivers who provide elderly care.
Finding elderly care in Fort Myers is just one of the many things Abby Services is good at. We also make some awesome pickles.
That’s why we were excited about National Pickle Day on November 14th. National Pickle Day can be traced back to the PicklePackers Association in 1949 as a part of National Pickle Week. However, this original holiday didn’t always fall on November 14th. All throughout history it was celebrated on different days.
Whatever day you choose to celebrate National Pickle Day we hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we did:)
Pickled Watermelon Rind:
Ingredients
- 8 cups sliced peeled watermelon rind (2×1-in. pieces)
- 6 cups water
- 1 cup canning salt
- 4 cups sugar
- 2 cups white vinegar
- 6 cinnamon sticks (3 inches), divided
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
Directions
- Place rind in a large nonreactive bowl; stir in water and salt. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Rinse and drain well.
- In a Dutch oven, mix sugar, vinegar, 2 cinnamon sticks, cloves and peppercorns. Bring to a boil. Add rinds; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until tender. Discard cinnamon sticks.
- Carefully ladle hot mixture into four hot 1-pint jars, leaving 1/2-in. headspace. Add a remaining cinnamon stick to each jar. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot mixture. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight.
- Place jars into canner with simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool.
Hot Pickled Carrots:
- 3 cups white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons pickling salt or fine sea salt (not iodized)
- 3 pounds small spring carrots, sliced on the diagonal ⅛ inch thick
- 1 medium red onion, sliced ⅛ inch thick
- 2 fresh jalapeños, sliced into rings ⅛ inch thick
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican, divided
- 2 teaspoons cumin seed, divided
- 2 large cloves garlic, halved
Preparation
- Prepare 4 1-pint (2-cup) canning jars and lids: Wash in hot soapy water and rinse well. Place the rack in the pot and place the jars, right side up, on the rack. Add enough water to fill and cover the jars by at least 1 inch. Cover the pot and bring to a boil; boil, covered, for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat. Keep the jars in the hot water (with the pot covered) while you prepare the recipe.
- Meanwhile, place the new lids in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a gentle simmer. Very gently simmer for 10 minutes (taking care not to boil). Turn off the heat and keep the lids in the water until ready to use.
- Combine vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a 6- to 8-quart nonreactive pot (see Tips) and bring to a boil. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the carrots, onion and jalapenos; return to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, remove the sterilized jars from the water and place on a clean towel (if they’re placed on a cold surface, the jars could crack). Place ½ teaspoon each oregano and cumin seed in each jar, along with half a garlic clove.
- Fill the jars with the vegetables and pickling liquid to within ½ inch of the rim. Wipe the rims with a clean cloth. Use a lid wand (or tongs) to remove the lids from the hot water. Place lids and dry rings on the jars. Tighten until just finger-tight (won’t move with gentle pressure) but don’t overtighten.
- To process the filled jars: Using a jar lifter, return jars to the pot with the warm water, placing them on the rack without touching one another or the sides of the pot. If the water does not cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches, add boiling water as needed. Cover the pot and bring to a boil; boil 10 minutes, then turn off the heat, uncover the pot and leave the jars in the water for 5 minutes. Use the jar lifter to transfer the jars to a towel, with some space between each jar. Let stand, without moving, for 24 hours. (If you do not want to process the jars in a boiling-water bath, you can refrigerate the pickles for up to 2 months.)
- After 24 hours, unscrew the rings and test the seals by pressing lightly on the center of each lid. They should have a slight concave indentation and neither yield to your pressure nor pop back. If a seal is not complete, you can process it again in boiling water or store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator.