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rigardengal
- Full Member
- Posts: 56
- Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 2:13 pm
- Location: Rhode Island
Pickling Cucumbers
Could anyone refer me to a good recipe for pickling cucumbers? I'm growing the pickling variety(short) and would like to give this a try. I've never pickled a thing in my life, so go easy on me, with perhaps, a 'simple' recipe.(although we've been known to just 'dive into' complexities as well!!) Sweet, tart, tangy, spicy.....it doesn't matter. If anyone has ever eaten at Ted's Montana Grill, we love those pickles!! Thanks!
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hendi_alex
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 3604
- Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:58 am
- Location: Central Sand Hills South Carolina
I don't have my old recipe on hand and have not pickled in quite some time, but when did make pickles in the past, the bread and butters were my absolute favorite, sweet but not too sweet with a little tartness. One nice thing about pickle recipes is that you can vary most any way you please to make it more tart, more sweet, leave out some unliked spice, or add a substitute. So find a basic recipe and then play with it to suit your own taste.
A quick search provided this recipe that is similar to what I used. There are literally dozens of bread and butter pickle recipes, but I find that packing in ice gives the cucumber slices an improved crispness. Also in this recipe, since I don't like clove much, would leave out or reduce that ingredient. But as menioned earlier, play with the recipe, some might leave out or reduce the amount of peppers in their pickles, really just depends on your preference. You can even adjust the ratio of vinegar and sugar if you wish, either adding or decreasing sugar to affect the sweetness. One last note, I've found that it is very easy to sterilize my jars in the microwave. I wash and rinse and then place in the microve on a clean paper towel. Run short 20 second cycles until the jars are scalding hot. The canning jars are not likely microwave friendly and can crack, so just short bursts of heat until the jars are too hot to handle. Be shure and boil the lids to sterilize them.
BREAD & BUTTER PICKLES
1 gal. cucumbers
8 onions, peeled & sliced
2 green peppers, chopped
2 red peppers
1/2 c. salt
5 c. sugar
2 tbsp. mustard seed
1 1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
5 c. vinegar
Place cucumber, onions and pepper in a large crock and sprinkle with salt. Pack in ice. Put a plate on top and weight it down. Let stand 3 hours.
Drain well. Combine sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, turmeric, ground cloves and vinegar. Put cucumbers (drained) in a large pan, pour over the mixture and simmer for 3 minutes. Seal immediately in hot jars. Makes 8 pints. Let stand for 1 week before serving.
A quick search provided this recipe that is similar to what I used. There are literally dozens of bread and butter pickle recipes, but I find that packing in ice gives the cucumber slices an improved crispness. Also in this recipe, since I don't like clove much, would leave out or reduce that ingredient. But as menioned earlier, play with the recipe, some might leave out or reduce the amount of peppers in their pickles, really just depends on your preference. You can even adjust the ratio of vinegar and sugar if you wish, either adding or decreasing sugar to affect the sweetness. One last note, I've found that it is very easy to sterilize my jars in the microwave. I wash and rinse and then place in the microve on a clean paper towel. Run short 20 second cycles until the jars are scalding hot. The canning jars are not likely microwave friendly and can crack, so just short bursts of heat until the jars are too hot to handle. Be shure and boil the lids to sterilize them.
BREAD & BUTTER PICKLES
1 gal. cucumbers
8 onions, peeled & sliced
2 green peppers, chopped
2 red peppers
1/2 c. salt
5 c. sugar
2 tbsp. mustard seed
1 1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
5 c. vinegar
Place cucumber, onions and pepper in a large crock and sprinkle with salt. Pack in ice. Put a plate on top and weight it down. Let stand 3 hours.
Drain well. Combine sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, turmeric, ground cloves and vinegar. Put cucumbers (drained) in a large pan, pour over the mixture and simmer for 3 minutes. Seal immediately in hot jars. Makes 8 pints. Let stand for 1 week before serving.