I love to grow cucumbers! The cucumber plant was one of the first plants I grew successfully on my own in my first garden. I think I only managed to grow two cucumbers that year, but it was still the most proud I have ever been over some stumpy cukes. This years harvest was great though. I was able to make 8 large jars of pickles, which is great news because we go through them quickly in my house.
I hate wasting, especially when I grow that something. Growing something for me means more than just planting some seeds in the ground. It’s about taking time, nurturing and caring for these living things. Listening to them for what they need and enjoying the fruits of my labour when I see a beautifully ripe cucumber hanging from the vine. It’s pretty amazing how many cucumbers you can get at the end of the season. In the spring time I will have more on growing cucumbers but right now I want to talk about pickling.
Pickling is a great way to keep your veggies through the winter months. I know around harvest time it can be a bit overwhelming dealing with all your veggies. I try and balance out my garden so I wont be pickling everything all at once.
Pickling can be time consuming and sometimes a lot of work but in my opinion, so worth the effort. And these bread and butter pickles are my favourite little addition to so many snacks.
Ingredients
- lots of cucumbers
- 1 medium onion
- 1/2 cup salt
- 4 cups of vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 cup sugar
- 4 tbsp mustard seed
- 2 tsp celery seed
- 2 tsp tumeric
Instructions
- The night before, cut the cucumbers into medallion slices. I like to cut the onions into slices. Mix the onions and cucumbers together in a large bowl and add salt. mix together and leave overnight (or at least 3 hours) This extracts the moisture from the cucumbers.
- In a large pot, add vinegar, water, sugar, mustard seed, celery salt and tumeric. bring to a boil.
- While the brine is heating up prepare the jars. In a stock pot boil water. Add jars and lids to disinfect.
- Once the jars are ready, add cucumber and onions to the jars. Add brine until it covers the cucumbers. Clean the rim of the jars of any brine.
- Seal the jars right away. once they are sealed you can add them back to the boiling water and allow any bubbles of air to escape. (10 mins)
- Remove the jars from water carefully. Wait till the jars lids start popping. These pickles should be good for over a year.