This year, a bumper crop of cucumbers was turning our garden into a bit of a challenge. Catherine and I like cucumbers, see, but the two of us can only consume so many of the things. Last week, there were three of the things sitting on the counter threatening to spoil if we didn't do something fast, and I took matters into my own hands. Some googlng for pickle recipes yielded a few promising hits, and I made up substitutions for stuff we didn't have. ("No fresh garlic in the house? I'll use a few peppercorns...")Three jarfulls of the little suckers have been aging for almost a week, and I finally popped one open to see how they turned out. They're certainly not up to Vlasic standards -- not enough spice, a little too much sugar and vinegar -- but all things considered, they're not too bad. Hooray for pickles! I feel terribly domestic, now.