Homemade Pickle Recipe

We grew lemon cucumbers in our first-ever kitchen garden this year. These cucumbers are round and yellow (hence the name) and taste like the familiar long green cucumbers: crisp, cool and juicy. Mostly we have chopped them into salads or served them along side a plate of sliced fresh tomatoes. Now that the summer growing season is ending, I am looking for ways to extend and vary the use of the cucumbers. This recipe for pickles is just the thing: Quick and easy, and meant to be enjoyed for a few short weeks (if they last that long) rather than "put up" for long term storage. The recipe is based on Alton Brown's "Kinda Sorta Sours", with my modifications noted.

CUCUMBER PICKLE RECIPE

Ingredients
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced (we used lemon cucumbers and green ones)
1 cup water
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup champagne vinegar (Note: we didn't have any, so I used white wine vinegar)
1/2 cup sugar (Note: I used far less--maybe a tablespoon? and it was great)
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon pickling spice
4 garlic cloves, smashed

Directions:

Place the sliced onions and cucumbers in alternating layers in a clean spring-top jar.
Combine all other ingredients except the garlic in a non-reactive (stainless steel, glass--not aluminum) saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for four minutes.

Add the garlic cloves to the jar. Slowly and gently pour the hot pickling liquid over the vegetables in the jar, filling to the top of the jar.

Cool to room temperature, top off with any remaining liquid and refrigerate.

Comments

[Brilynn]

I like the picture of the cucumbers in the jar, very nice. I've just started getting into making jams and preserves, my next project is grape jelly with grapes from the garden.

[Foodie Pam]

I've been making my own "refridgerator pickles" for a few years now. Your recipe is interesting with the tumeric and other spices. Mine - http://www.projectfoodie.com/blog/from-the-garden/so-how-many-cucumbers-can-you-stuff-into-a-zucchini.html are much more basic sweet and dill pickles but still much more interesting that store bought.

I'll have to try yours out next year...

[john]

Just harvested the last of my lemon cukes a few days ago in order to plant the winter garden. We ended up with over 25 pounds of cukumbers, so we have been looking for things to do with them so that they don't all go bad! I just made the recipe and it looks and smells great. Thanks.