from Freshly Picked
Traditional methods are many and varied – and often time-consuming. To keep things simple and avoid spoilage and canning dangers like botulism, I now prefer refrigerator pickles. I can use my excess harvest to quickly make up a jar or two of crunchy bread-and-butter pickles that are ready to eat within a week. It’s a perfect way to take advantage of locally grown cucumbers heaped high in markets during our hottest days. Any variety or mix of cucumbers can be used, from small dills to long English cukes. If using tougher-skinned field types, score skins with a fork or peel.
Ingredients
2 Mason jars, 1-litre or 4 500-millilitre jars
10 cucumbers, sliced thinly
1 small onion, sliced thinly
1 pepper (any colour), sliced thinly
1 ½ cups white vinegar
3 cups sugar
1 ½ tablespoons pickling or kosher salt
¾ teaspoon celery seed
¾ teaspoon mustard powder
¾ teaspoon turmeric
Directions
Wash the cucumbers and slice thinly. Add onion and pepper also thinly sliced. Make sure you have enough to snugly fill the jars then put in a bowl. In a saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, salt, celery seed and mustard powder and turmeric. Bring to a boil to dissolve, simmer for 5 minutes and pour over the cucumber mixture. Let cool, cover and refrigerate for 4 days. Stir occasionally to make sure the vegetables are immersed in liquid.
Transfer veggies into Mason jars that have been sterilized by spending 10 minutes in a 225-degree-Fahrenheit oven, then fill to top with brine and refrigerate. Voila – they are ready to eat. The pickles will keep for a month in the fridge – if they last that long.
Nada’s Tips & Tricks: A much easier and quicker way to pickle cucumbers. We grew up with acres of cucumbers on our farm and have had many versions of pickles…this one is a nice twist with the addition of turmeric.
Excerpted from ‘Freshly Picked: A Locavore’s Love Affair with BC’s Bounty’ by Jane Reid. Copyright © 2018 Jane Reid. Published by Caitlin Press. Reproduced by arrangement with the publisher. All rights reserved. https://caitlinpress.com/Books/F/Freshly-Picked
