Pickled Pink

Greetings pickle lovers! Admittedly, when I saw that this weeks fabric design contest theme on Spoonflower was Pickles, I did not relish the idea. (My only pickle pun, promise!) But, I see these contests as opportunities to push my creativity and learn new design skills. So, after a bit of sketching and coloring fun, this is the imaginative design I came up with for my entry. I can truly say imaginative because until I considered the dill flower I had drawn the rest from memory. I'm finding the less perfect I make things, the more I am starting to like them! Thats a big deal for a recovering perfectionist.

My design is called...

“Pickled Pink” and you can vote for it HERE right now! Anybody can vote and I believe voting ends May 20th. Your support encourages me and is appreciated more than you can possibly know. ♥ A second version has a green patterned background for those who…dare I comprehend it…are not a fan of pink? :-O

The pickle canning theme came to mind since preserving foods from our garden was something my mother taught us when I was school age. I grew up in Michigan and all that summer gardening work was well worth it when we were knee deep in frigid snow. All we had to do was go down in the cellar (where there were hopefully NO spiders) for a fresh jar of pickles, tomatoes, corn, beans, salmon, beets, peaches, cherries, applesauce and more. My younger sister Linda still preserves foods from her own garden and even sells some at a local market. I’m one of many who look forward to her goodies every year.

These are pictures she took of last season’s pickling party with some friends.

Ah ha!...We now know where Peter Piper's peck of pickled peppers went!

Now, this is some serious pickling!

They use the Fresh Pack process where pickles are packed in jars and hot vinegar brine with seasonings is poured over them. Once the lids are put on, the jars vacuum seal themselves…evidenced by the lids making popping sounds. This process results in crunchy and tasty pickles. The typical pickle in the grocery store is made by a fermenting process where pickles are soaked in brine in open vats for up to three months. Those pickles are usually softer, saltier and likely have a longer shelf-life. Novices can try the super easy method of using leftover pickle juice to pickle all sorts of veggies with just a few days of refrigeration.

Pickles offer health benefits such as antioxidants, essential vitamins and minerals. The brine that protects the pickles from bacteria also acts as a probiotic and helps with the bad bacteria in our tummies. They are low in calories and fat too! The only not-so-healthy feature is the added salt and sugar, but the good news is both low sodium and low sugar versions are now available. A quick internet search resulted in healthy recipes for those wishing to preserve their own. I ran across this great site I Love Pickles.org that shares mouthwatering recipes like Dilled Pickle Salsa, Pickle Stuffed Meatloaf and Pickled Pepper Biscuits…yum! There's even pickle games and coloring pages for the younger pickle lovers.

I confess that I’m no pickle authority. All I really know is ♥ sweet gherkins ♥ are my fav and whoever invented fried dill pickles is a genius!

Thank you ♥ sis for letting me share these pictures! And oh, by the way…I have a bunch of egg cartons for you…and I’m out of blackberry jam! If you live in the Killeen, Texas area and enjoy wholesome and healthy canned foods, jams, fresh caught fish, fresh eggs, and fire wood (that's far wood in Texan)…just send me a message and I’ll hook you up with my baby sister. I'm proud of my sister and how she works so hard to provide and happily shares her bounty with others. That's us sitting in a field of bluebonnets; she is on the right. In the future, maybe I’ll have a chance to design something sugary sweet in honor of my other sisters talents...I'm talking gorgeous cakes and mouth watering cookies! Ooooh yeah.

Ahem….did you VOTE yet? No worries…you can do so HERE and check out all 238 entries by wonderfully talented artists. Designs are sold as fabric, gift wrap and wallpaper. My"Pickled Pink" design will be available for sale soon in my Designed by Debby shop. It will make pretty tea towels…four to a yard or just one on a fat quarter. A lovely gift for your favorite cook! If you have questions, please don't hesitate to drop me a note.

Lastly, please SIGN UP to my website for future design updates, free shipping offers and access to free printable gift cards. How-to projects are coming soon also! Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Thank you for stopping by! Are you craving fried pickles now? Sorry….okay, not! xo ♥