after 2 hours of driving
we stop off at a small town
down by the shore.
there are long limbs that require stretching
and growling stomachs in need of food,
plus, Pokemon to be caught
(for the record, it’s dw who’s playing,
not the kids)
we sit at table that is in a cafe
that also fronts as a pharmacy.
the boys consume everything in front of them
everything except the gherkin pickles,
which are delicious –
crisp and sweet and sour.
they remind me of my grandfather
who loved that combination.
with that in mind,
i picked up 4 pounds of pickling cukes
from the market saturday morning,
and spent minimal time in the kitchen
preparing them.
they came out with such snap.
dw could’ve done without the coriander seeds
but i like them.
i made enough to keep a large jar
but also a smaller jar to gift for a sick friend.
hope your summer is going swell.
be good to each other.
fast ‘n dirty bread & butter pickles
makes 1 half gallon + 1 quart jars <= how’s that for crazy measurement?
*note: you can up the amount of sugar if you want it sweeter. i was more interested in getting the crunch and the salt step is key to getting that.
about 3-4 lbs of pickling cucumbers, cleaned and sliced about 1″ thick
3 generous TBL kosher salt
1 large onion sliced
2 scant cups of coconut sugar
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3-4 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds, optional
healthy dash of ground tumeric
in a big mixing bowl add the sliced cukes and sprinkle in the salt. mix it all and then cover in fridge for about 2 hours. them cukes are going to pee liquid something fierce. you’ll be amazed. drain the cukes and rinse thoroughly. drain as much of the water out as possible. add in the sliced onions and toss together.
in a saucepan heat up the rest of the ingredients until simmering and the sugars have dissolved. turn off heat.
in jars divvy up the cukes and onion. pour the hot vinegar liquid over the vegs. allow to cool to room temp and then lid and fridge. will keep for a month, but must be well covered and anytime you pull pickles out, use a clean utensil.
BAM!
3 years ago: spicy cantaloupe salad
2 years ago: pickled beets
1 year ago: apparently i was a bum last year around this time
morestomach 
These sound and look absolutely wonderful. I am more a kosher dill > bread and butter kind of girl, but these remind me of my Gran Emmy, who always had jars lining her pantry, crinkle cut and waiting for my Papa’s sandwiches. x
when i was slicing up these i remember thinking how much i wanted a crinkle cutter. grandparent related stories are so great — i’m now inclined to make my gpa’s sandwiches with these tonight for dinner.
My mother made bread & butter pickles. I didn’t much like them as a child, being a dill pickle kind of person. But I like them now. I remain hopeful that those “boys” will expand their tastes as they grow up. Fingers crossed.
i think i lean twds these because they’re sweet, though i was rather stingy with the sugar.
the boys were great with eating, i think their tastes is in line with their ages, though K is much more adventurous than Q.
Yum! Why are they called bread and butter pickles can I ask? I don’t think we have these in the UK we just call them gherkins!
Tania @ http://www.thegammonkitchen.wordpress.com
hi Tania, great question. from my understanding, the name came from the 20s when illinois farmers had a surplus of undersized cukes and they would pickle them and use the finished product to barter for staples like bread & butter.
Wow….love stories like that! Thank you for answering. Recipe looks great!
Tania
I love pickles and your photos are beautiful! Sounds like you’ve been having some summer fun. I didn’t know you had kids! How many? I just bought a blender and a spiralizer today to try to incorporate more vegetables and nutrients. I can’t wait. Do you have any recipes that I can use veggie noodles in? Be well!
oh girl. no kids for us, these are our nephews who visit us for a week every summer. that is enough parenting for me!
i’ve been toying very hard with the idea of a spiralizer. which one did you get? (now i’m thinking of what i need to chuck to make room for a new toy…) i think pretty much any noodle recipe can be used with veggie noodles. i have made spaghetti squash with bolognese sauce before and i really enjoy it. i would think veggie noodles with pasta sauce would be delicious.
Ohh good idea about red sauce. I hear you re kids. I got the oxo. I’ll let you know how it is. Im trying to eat more veggies. I have no space for these items but I’ll find a way. I remember when I was a student and dreamed of the day when I could afford kitchen toys like a blender or a coffee maker. Slowly but surely I’m there. Then you have new goals…. Xo
Such a coincidence I recently thought I should make pickles, never made them before! 🙂
if you’ve never made pickles before, these would be a breeze to get through and a great intro to the joys of homemade pickles. enjoy!
M looooves bread and butter pickles (I am a kosher dill person myself) so I’m going to send this to him when he’s in the mood to make a batch of pickles for himself. I hope you are having/had a great time down the shore–we’re off to the DE beaches next week ourselves.
we’re back from the shore, a week spent by the water is making me already plan for another trek this year.
so many who like the kosher dill! that is so interesting to me. this is so quick and easy, the most time spent was the cutting part, everything else came together easy. i hope he likes it!
Didn´t know about the name either, as Tania wrote in a previous comment – interesting and delicious and wonderful photos – great combo!!
thank you so much sabine. to be fair, i didn’t know either.
This looks gorgeous!
thank you anne.