Bite Of Minnesota: Bread & Butter Pickles

The weather turned hot and sweltering again just to give us one last chance at summer fun before school starts up again. For those of us who had outdoor activities this weekend (a gorgeous farm wedding in my case), we likely alternated our time between dabbing the sweat from our brows (to put it lightly) and seeking a slight reprieve in the shade.

It was also a great weekend for farmers market shopping and preserving the summer's bounty through canning and pickling. Many of my friends had Labor Day off from work and I was envious of their jars of dilly beans, tomato sauce, and the ever-popular jars of pickles. Although I didn't have the time to do any major canning this weekend, I managed to make one container of bread and butter pickles. They will only last a week or so; just enough time to eat all of them.

I grabbed this recipe from Saveur through Pinterest and thought the results were great! It calls for Kirby cucumbers, which are small and compact, but I used a regular cucumber from my Belle Creek Gardens crop share. I also didn't have celery seed, so I skipped using it and didn't miss a thing. Although the wait time is long, these are super easy to make. Grab the cucumbers from the fridge and get started right now.

Bread & Butter Pickles
From Saveur Issue #108
(makes 5 cups)

3 kirby cucumbers (about 1 lb.), trimmed
 and thickly sliced

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup kosher salt

1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar

1 cup sugar

2 tsp mustard seeds

2 tsp celery seeds

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

Put cucumbers, onions, and salt into a large bowl and toss well. Add 3 cups ice cubes, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Drain cucumbers and onions well, discarding the salty water; set aside.

Put vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, and turmeric into a large pot, stir well, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the cucumber–onion mixture and stir well. Allow liquid to return just to a boil, then remove pot from heat.

Transfer pickles and their liquid to a large, clean plastic container. Set aside to let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve pickles the next day or store for up to 1 week.