The tomatoes are spent. The basil is wilting. But the cucumbers keep going on and on and on. It’s been that kind of year for a lot of Colorado gardeners. Nobody seems to be bragging about their peppers or squash, but everyone is complaining about too many cukes. Another salad? Maybe not, with this quick pickle recipe. Make a lot and give it away to make up for all those zucchini you unloaded on folks earlier in the year.
Quick Picks
This recipe works with any type of cucumber, and you can easily double it. The trick to making it tasty, though, is slicing the ingredients very thin. Use a mandolin if you don’t have the patience to do it with a knife. Note: It takes 24-hours for the dish to cure, so make it ahead if time if you plan to pickle down for a certain occasion. If you’re giving it away – and you should, these are great – do remind recipients that although the pickles are in jars, they’re not really canned, as in sealed and processed in a hot-water bath. This means they must be kept cold and consumed within a few months. Makes about four 12-ounce jars.
Ingredients
For the pickles:
- 7 cups cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 1 medium green pepper, diced
- 5 teaspoons salt
For the brine:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons celery seed
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
Directions
Combine the pickle ingredients and place in a large bowl (larger than you think). Set aside. Do not drain. Mix sugar and vinegar and stir until much of the sugar has dissolved. Add remaining brine ingredients and pour over cucumbers. Cover and stand overnight in the refrigerator. Pack into jars and refrigerate.
