Homemade Pickle Gifts

I never made my own pickles, but always wanted to try. Since we're missing out on one of my favorite events of the year this summer, Picklesburgh, I took the pickling plunge to try to get a little taste of what I'm missing. It was fun and I love that I found a new (and super easy) homemade gift to share.

Have extra cucumbers = make pickles

We had a little get together in our studio and the aftermath resulted in a lot of leftover mini cucumbers, thanks to Costco. This cucumber overage gave me the perfect pickling opportunity.

I love any excuse to make a rainbow out of fresh fruits and veggies. It's the perfect side dish for hummus and/or a cheese plate.

I did a quick internet search and found these Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles from Self Proclaimed Foodie. They seemed simple enough and you just need a few ingredients:

• Cucumbers
• White Vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar which is why my brine is a little golden colored)
• Water
• Salt
• Sugar
• Dill 
• Garlic
• Peppercorns
• Jars (I just used leftover jars I had hanging around, if you don't have a secret jar collection you can find some at the thrift store, your local hardware store, or finish up that jar of sauce in the fridge and use that)

The next steps involve boiling water and the vinegar, cutting up the cukes, and adding the ingredients to the jars, you can find the full recipe here.

These jars are looking cute and are ready to marinate in the fridge for about a week.

Wrapping Your Homemade Pickles for Gifting

You know gifting is our specialty here at The Neighborgoods and I love the chance to combine a homemade foodie gift with one of our matching dish towels or sponge cloths for the recipient to keep on using after the delectable goods have been devoured.

I am going to show you two (super easy) gift wrapping options for your homemade pickles using either one of our dish towels or sponge cloths. 

1. Gift Wrap a Jar with a Dish Towel

All you need is your jar of pickles, a dish towel (we recommend our Big Dill Pickle Dish Towel, or Dill Herb Dish Towel), scissors, and string.

• You start by laying the towel on a flat surface face down
• Place the jar on its side on the upper right corner of the artwork
• Fold the bottom half up to the bottom of the jar, and then fold again this time covering the jar (this creates your base, and the first fold keeps the top fabric from being too long)
• Fold the extra fabric on the right over top the jar and then roll your jar to the left
• Before you get to the edge of the towel, take the bottom left corner and bring it to the top of the towel creating a triangle fold (this will keep the edge secure and not flapping)
• Gather the fabric at the top and tie a string around to secure (I lay the jar over the string, I think it's easier to keep the wrap tight this way)

You can check out a quick how-to video here.

2. Gift Wrap a Jar with a Sponge Cloth

We have another, even easier option, that is super quick using a sponge cloth. All you need is your jar of pickles, a sponge cloth (we recommend our Dill Herb Sponge Cloth, or Big Dill Pickle Sponge Cloth), scissors, string, and a rubber band.

• Start by wetting the sponge cloth to make it pliable, and wring out the excess water
• Place the sponge over the top of the jar and put a rubber band around the lip of the jar to secure it for easier string tying 
• Tie your string below the rubber band and then slide off the band
• Your sponge cloth will dry to the shape it made as the jar topper

Voila, that's it! You can check out a quick how-to video here.

This is a simple yet thoughtful gift, wrapped with reusable materials making it not only impressive looking, but eco-friendly as well. This is a perfect gift for your pickle loving friends, or you could even make a bigger batch for your whole pickle ball team.

Leave a comment below if you try this out or if you have any questions!

Peace, love, and pickles.

Jodi