the vegetables that have been soaking in the brine. Save some of the liquid. Cover them

with the vinegar and sugar and bring them to a boil. Cook until the cucumbers change

from green to brown. Add the pickling spices and mustard. Stir. Dissolve the turmeric in

a little water and add to the mixture. Make a thickening paste with some of the vegetable

water and flour as you would if you were making gravy. Add it slowly to the liquid on

the pickles until it is a little thicker than a rich, maple syrup. Add the alum and stir

thoroughly. This is the secret for crisp pickles.

Pack the pickles into the bottles being careful not to contaminate the bottles with utensils

or any other unsterile object. Try to put an equal number of pickles, onions, cauliflower,

and chartreuse liquid in each bottle. Seal with the canning lids as directed on the box.

If you wish, label the bottles with “Gram Harry’s Mustard Pickles” or start a tradition

using your own name—but do remember Gram Harry.

Author’s Bio:

I was born and raised in Utah and come from a long line of wonderful cooks. For

some reason, I rarely do it myself. Still, the food enriches my memories. Many of those

who live in Utah country—even Salt Lake City—have maintained the household virtues

of their pioneer ancestors. Many still hunt deer and pheasant, and fish for fresh rainbow

trout in the crystal waters of the Wasatch Mountains. Women—even those with careers—

often sew and quilt and, of course, cook. Summer is still a time when yards are filled not

only with petunias but also with tomatoes, zucchinis, and, of course, cucumbers.

One person who reviewed This is the Place said that Utah itself was one of the

major characters. And so it is with my life. It is a place where my roots are but a place

where I no longer live or belong. I carry with me a sweet nostalgia for the place whether I

am in California with my actor husband or in Utah visiting my 84-year-old mother. If you

would like to know more about me, Carolyn Howard-Johnson, or This is the Place, go

to www.tlt.com/authors/carolynhowardjohnson.htm.

Cooking By The Book