Imagine my delight to find this adorable dish towel decorated with a recipe of ingredients easily grown in a home garden, and best of all, that the ingredients are all from the Bible. Hallelujah! I found the towel in a gift shop last January and have been waiting to celebrate “Happy Summer Gardening” with you, dear Gardeners, and this pickle recipe ever since—gardening always gives us something to look forward to.
Finally, our cucumbers are plentiful and ready. Even better, the Biblical ingredients to pair them with plants us deeply in God’s wisdom, giving us an appointed guide for prayer. We credit cucumbers for refreshing us in summer with their watery flesh and crisp crunch, yet how much more can their connection to Scripture offer horticultural metaphor and imagery to splash God’s vitality in our hearts.
Transcribing the recipe for “Dishtowel Refrigerator Dill Pickles” sets the order of prayers to follow: dill sprigs · cucumbers · vinegar · salt · coriander seeds · cold water · garlic cloves · mustard seeds (Cramms don’t like sweet pickles, so I leave out the sugar.) Let’s plunge into this great garden work, and find the complete recipe written out below.
Dill
So woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees. You hypocrites! You tithe from your luxuries and your spices, giving away a tenth of your mint, your dill, and your cumin. But you have ignored the essentials of the law: justice, mercy, faithfulness. It is practice of the latter that makes sense of the former. Matthew 23:23 VOICE
Learn about growing dill in the Plant Guide
First things first*: Dill is mentioned among a trio of herbs and spices to remind us that the essence or distinction of a God-filled life is an entwined intra-working of justice, mercy, and faithfulness. God’s ways are fitted faithfully with truth and procedure, mitigated by mercy (thankfully!), that we are not treated as our sins deserve (Psalm 103:10). These are expressions of His love, a love integral to rightness and reason, compassion and devotion—like a gardener to his garden, giving intimate, appropriate, forever care.
Prayer: O Lord, thank you that Your justice, mercy, and faithfulness sustain Your kingdom; how we praise You that this is who You are, the way You conduct Your affairs, and the way You want us to live. These are good things and You want Your goodness to come to us. May we trust You always to do what is right, mirrored always with Your mercy. Through these basics, Your love and forgiveness surround us. May we grow as a reflection of Your ways and keep from nitpicking over tasteless matters; may our nation embrace You and resound Your justice, mercy and faithfulness.
Cucumbers
Daughter Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, like a hut in a cucumber field, like a city under siege. Isaiah 1:8 NIV
Learn about growing cucumbers in the Plant Guide
Cucumbers are plants of warning in Scripture: not to grumble, as we’ll discuss with garlic (Numbers 11:5); and not to take refuge in temporary “huts.” That is, short-lived comforts or gratifications, which leave us vulnerable to sieges of the enemy. No matter how much things seem to wave off troubles or make us feel better for the time being, only One investment pays off permanently: Time with the Lord. He has assigned Himself as our refuge, our strength, our ever-present help in any horror, our defender, and He is admittedly jealous for our time and attention.
Prayer: Lord, don’t let us hole up in a hut when the extravagance of time with the Holy One is true tabernacle. Our ability to remain “cool as a cucumber” only endures when we seek You, dear God. The refreshment of Your presence and the shelter of You, El Shaddai, offers an everlasting place of peace, rest, and fortification. O Lord, what good news that we can exchange grumbling for grace, and agitation for tranquil time with You. As bees bumble between cucumber blossoms, pollinating to produce these crunchy fruits, let us see Your Word to bee-still (Psalm 46:10) as a path to productivity.
Vinegar
…Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. John 19:28-29 NIV
Vinegar is the crux of pickle making, its acid providing the preserving compound, extending the life and enjoyment of cucumbers. Though it creates the characteristic sour taste of pickles, it also compels their appeal and acts as a host, mingling the strong flavors that infuse the mild cucumbers. As a poignant connection, vinegar was lifted to Jesus’ lips in His dying moments of the crucifixion. Though a preferred drink in ancient times to contaminated waters, vinegar hardly seems thirst-arresting to His desperate plea. Vinegar’s “piercingly intense” flavor, from Merriam-Webster’s definition of acid, resounds what the Savior endured for us, pierced for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5). The humble pickle connects to Jesus’ profound sacrifice for our salvation.
Prayer: O merciful Lord, You came for us, You endured for us, You died for us. You suffered such sourness: hunger and thirst, betrayal, injustice, mockery, abuse, attack, collapse, defeat. Though You give us communion with bread and wine to remember You, pickles bear Your story, too! Let us savor their vinegary taste to be touched by Your disgrace. As we eat pickles with our tuna salad, ballpark hot dog, or ice cream (!), let us be drawn to You and the infusion of intense love You have for us, shown through Your sacrificing death.
Water
Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:37-38 NIV
The cold water in this recipe is needed to see to it that jars are filled to the rim, ensuring that the pickles are preserved from top to bottom. If vinegar alone filled the jars, the tartness would be too much, yikes! Water assists in buffering vinegar’s acidic action, holding too much tartness at bay, allowing spice flavors to come forward. And it gives us a chance to praise God, our Living Water!
Prayer: O Lord, water is Your great invitation. You extend Your call through our thirst to come to You and embrace our relationship with You as a splashing fountain and a river-like current of revitalizing life. Thank You that we can hope in You for the help we need. You are ready to quench our deep, soul needs and make us buoyant and graceful, ushering us along in fluid living – this is the life of the Spirit (John 6:63). You enable us to grow and glide through rough, dry patches because You teach us to live from the inside out.
Salt
“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness?” Matthew 5:13 The Message
Salt works in tandem with vinegar to preserve the produce, extending its edible life. And more adorably, salt enhances the ingredients it combines with, amplifying their flavor notes and expanding the experience of their tastiness. Even sweet treats taste better when salted, just like salt makes butter taste more…buttery. Jesus ordained salt as a vivid metaphor for the purpose He gives our lives.
Prayer: O Jesus, life with You is happily salty! First of all, preserved. How we praise You that we will not die but live (Psalm 118:17)! Our trust in You, Holy Savior, moves us from darkness to light, from death to life—life forever with You. You welcome us to carry all our burdens and troubles to You, and knowing You care for us frees us to help bring out the best in others (Philippians 2:3, Colossians 4:6). Let our trust in You make others thirsty for the possibility of life beyond the world’s chaotic way—for Your way, Yahweh.
Coriander Seeds
The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. Exodus 16:31 NIV
Learn more about how to grow coriander in the Plant Guide
Coriander seed has a hint of lemony-citrus with earthy notes of spice that bring a quiet intrigue of background flavor. No doubt a back seat to bold, biting pungency of vinegar and garlic, yet coriander seed imparts a grounded layer of tastiness, nonetheless. Recognizing its blanched color and somewhat bland or behind-the-scenes qualities gives gardeners and cooks a special measure of understanding in the story of Manna. Its everyday, nondescript presence made it easy for Israelites to brush past the epic miracle that Manna was, bread from heaven daily covering the desert floor. What!?! This mystery is part of the pickle recipe – don’t miss it!
Prayer: O heavenly Father, maker of heaven and earth, You are powerful and sensational in parting waters, yet Your everyday Presence can be subtle and unassuming. You don’t always burst into our awareness, making You easy to overlook, O dear! Thank You for coriander seeds to help us learn that You are always with us and sharpen our spiritual perception to discern Your gentle descent into our everyday coming and going. We pray to practice noticing You when You don’t grab our attention.
Garlic
…and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic….” Numbers 11:4-5 NIV
Learn more about how to grow garlic in the Plant Guide
What chef or family meatloaf doesn’t gush for garlic? It is easy to enter into a wailing frame of mind when imagining the flavor-savory taste of garlic stripped away from pesto, pizza sauce, chili, BBQ rub, or chicken soup, for starters. This easy-to-grow garden crop is beloved by most cultures and cuisines, giving the Israelites’ cries for old ways, a return to dead-end habits, a universal appeal.
Prayer: O Lord, let us trust that tasty goodness is Your idea, Your design (Genesis 2:9), and as You lead us in new ways, we don’t need to know where we’re going to know that it will be good and delicious. And along the way, we will be nourished and sustained. This manifest truth marries to distinct flavors of garlic (leeks and onions, too) as well as the watery vine-fruits of cucumbers and melons. Lord, in this range of produce (Numbers 11:5), You are perhaps hinting to the diverse situations that would otherwise make us WAIL; but by Your Spirit, we have a distinct advantage: peace beyond understanding (Philippians 4:7) and strength in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:10). You calm our cries with promise.
Mustard Seeds
Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17:20 NIV
Learn more about how to grow mustard seeds in the Plant Guide
Last of all, let this garden brine carry an infusion of faith! Thank you, mustard seeds, for a wake-up association and reminder of mountain-moving authority that is the kingdom of heaven. Calling out for the power and principals of God’s kingdom moves things in the earthly realm, a charge for followers of Jesus to keep. Let pickles proclaim it!
Prayer: O Heavenly Father, thank You, for sending Your Son for us so that we can live forever with You and partner with You to usher Your kingdom ways to earth. How desperate is the world for You, although it may be surprising to realize You are the One searched for! Alert us with mustard-mindedness in our common, daily routines as to who needs Your healing, Your saving, Your well-watered, flavorful life. Transform our inconveniences into Kingdom assignments to put our faith into practice. Leave a trail of mustard seeds for me to follow and flourish the kingdom.
Pickle Recipe Treasury
Let God’s Word keep flowing in you mind and heart. Enjoy these related Scriptures to enhance your prayers.
For you are obsessed with peripheral issues, like insisting on paying meticulous tithes on the smallest herbs that grow in your gardens. These matters are fine, yet you ignore the most important duties of all: to walk in the love of God, to display mercy to others, and to live with integrity. Readjust your values and place first things first. What blind guides! Nitpickers! Matthew 23:23-24 TPT
He has made it clear to you, mortal man, what is good and what the Lord is requiring from you— to act with justice, to treasure the Lord’s gracious love, and to walk humbly in the company of your God. Micah 6:8 ISV
Thankfully, God does not punish us for our sins and depravity as we deserve. In His mercy, He tempers justice with peace. Measure how high heaven is above the earth; God’s wide, loving, kind heart is greater for those who revere Him. Psalm 103:10-11 VOICE
When you abide under the shadow of Shaddai, you are hidden in the strength of God Most High. He’s the hope to hold me and stronghold to shelter me, the only God for me, and my great confidence. Psalm 91:1-2 TPT
Do not worship any other god instead of me. I am the Lord and I want you to belong to me alone. Exodus 34:14 EASY
Surrender your anxiety. Be still and realize that I am God. I am God above all the nations. Psalm 46:10 TPT
I will always show you where to go. I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places— firm muscles, strong bones. You’ll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. Isaiah 58:11 The Message
He’ll show us the way he works so we can live the way we’re made. Isaiah 2:3 The Message
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer every one. Colossians 4:6 RSV
I will not die, but live, and proclaim what Adonai has done! Psalm 118:17 TLV
“Also, be sure to rub every offering from your grain offering with salt. You are not ever to remove the salt of the covenant of your God from your grain offering. Present all your offerings with salt.” Leviticus 2:13 ISV
…rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves Philippians 2:3 NABRE
Let all these Words and prayers please You and entwine our hearts, dear Father! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you. May you be infused with strength and purity, filled with confidence in the presence of God our Father when our Master Jesus arrives with all his followers. 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 The Message
Transcribed the recipe for “Dishtowel Refrigerator Dill Pickles”: 16 dill sprigs · 2 lbs. mini cucumbers cut into spears · 1 1/4 C. white vinegar · 3 T. salt · 2 T. sugar (I leave out the sugar because we don’t like sweet pickles) · 2 T. coriander seeds · 2 C. cold water · garlic cloves (I suggest 4 cloves) · 1 tsp. mustard seeds · makes 2 1-qt. jars of pickles Directions: 1. Combine vinegar, salt (and sugar) in a small saucepan over high heat 2. Transfer the liquid into a bowl and whisk in the cold water 3. Whisk until the salt (and sugar) dissolves 4. Place cucumbers into 2 clean 1-quart jars. Add the dill sprigs, garlic cloves, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and chilled brine into jars divided evenly 5. Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours 6. The pickles should last one month in the refrigerator Towels available at Primitives by Kathy
Read more about growing cucumbers and their entwining story in Scripture in chapter 9 of My Father is the Gardener – and garlic, too!
Pickle ingredients are beloved plants over the years of the Devotions Blog – enjoy more in When Does Your Mustard Flower?, Parable of the Sower Revival Prayer Guide, Confessions in Cucumber Salad, Praising the Lord in Leeks, Onions & Garlic, Herbs of the Bible (and Spices), and much more!
Let garden poetry make the Scripture stories pop! Find “G is for Garlic,” “M is for Mustard” and “U is for Umbels” in the A-to-Z Primer of Plants from God’s Word
Photo Credits: ©Shelley S. Cramm
EASY denotesEasy English Bible Copyright © MissionAssist 2019 – Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1162807. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
ISV denotes Scripture quotations from The Holy Bible: International Standard Version. Release 2.0, Build 2015.02.09. Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
The Message denotes Scripture quotations taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries.
NABRE denotes Scripture texts taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
NIV denotes Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®
RSV denotes Scripture quotations taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
TLV denotes Scripture quotation taken from Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.
TPT denotes Scripture quotations taken from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018, 2020 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com
VOICE denotes Scripture quotations taken from The Voice™. Copyright © 2012 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
