In a Pickle

These only get made when my friend Helena arrives with a bag of her smallish and delicious home grown cucumbers. Today was one such day,  pickled within hours of being picked. They are ready to eat after one day and keep for months. I like them on crusty bread and butter, in sandwiches, with cream cheese and in burgers. A few tablespoons, chopped and mixed into potato salad is also delicious.

It is important to have thinly sliced cucumbers

Salting the mixture draws the moisture out of the cucumbers

The pickling mixture

The cucumber mixture is added to the pickling mixture

Then cooked for about ten minutes until the cucumber turns translucent 

The cucumber pickle is cooled and then packed into sterilised jars.

Pickled Cucumbers

(Bread and Butter Pickles)

Part 1 1 kg small green cucumbers 4 small brown onions (250g) 2 tablespoons salt

Part 2 1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon mustard powder 1 ½ tablespoons mustard seeds 1 teaspoon celery seeds or fennel seeds ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)

Method

 Part 1

Wash cucumbers and remove ends. Thinly slice cucumbers on a mandolin or use a food processor.

Peel onions and cut in half and thinly slice to form half circles. Thinly slice cucumbers on a mandolin or use a food processor.

Place cucumbers and onions in a non reactive bowl (glass/plastic/stainless steel). Add salt and enough water to just cover the cucumber mixture. Leave for at least two hours or over night and then drain.

Part 2

Place vinegar, sugar and spices in a pan large enough to hold the cucumber mixture. Bring the vinegar mixture to the boil, stir and simmer until the sugar is dissolved.

Add the cucumber mixture and cook gently for 10 -15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure all the cucumbers are evenly cooked in the pickling mixture. The green will turn more olive and the flesh will become more translucent.

Cool until lukewarm and pack the cucumbers into warm, sterilised jars. Pour any liquid over to fill jars but not overflowing.

Seal jars when the mixture is cold.