For most folks around the country, the waning production of fall gardens and farmers’ markets are still flooding kitchens with lots of fresh vegetables – many of course head straight for the grill, though some of these garden gems need to processed or canned for another day.
We’ve been canning pickles as a family since sometime shortly after the earth’s crust hardened (seems like it, anyway), though to be honest we enjoyed the quick pickles we’ve been making of late, including a quick dill pickle recipe I could swear I’d already posted but haven’t….
Our traditional bread and butter pickles have long been a clan and friend favorite, though I experimented a bit and made a batch of Quick Bread and Butter Pickles this past week.
Easy as pie (actually much easier than pie), these come together with roughly 20 minutes of hands-on (if you’ve got decent knife skills); most the time involved is for brining and a soak before ladling into your storage container.
They keep in the fridge for up to a month and have a bit more body and crispness than a heat-bath processed bread and butter pickle; throw in the pepper flakes or a dried thai pepper for some heat. By the way, you’re better off using this recipe if you want to can some for the next year (time tested vinegar concentration for safety and flavor).
Damn, these are good.
1 and 1/2 pounds pickling cucs, scrubbed, ends trimmed, 1/4-in slices
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 and 1/2 tbsp pickling salt1 cup white vinegar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2-3 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/8 tsp ground cloves
Salt ‘em down. Combine the sliced cucumbers, onions, and salt in a large bowl. If it’s cool in the house, cover and leave on the counter, otherwise, throw in the fridge for 2-3 hours. Rinse well and place back in the bowl when ready to proceed.
Make the Magic. Combine the remainder of the ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugars have dissolved.
Remove from the heat, pour over the cucumber / onion mixture and stir to mix well. Leave sitting on the counter for an hour, then cover and throw in the fridge, stirring 2 or 3 times, for 24 hours.
Put ‘em away. Spoon into your covered storage of choice (we use quart jars) and keep in the fridge for up to a month (once again, they’ll never last that long…).
Enjoy.
