Honestly, we've had pounds and pounds of cucumbers out of the garden and I was desperate to find something to do with them. We ate cucumbers sliced with salt, sugar and vinegar for dinner night after night. We ate cucumber, tomato, and onion salad night after night. We gave them to neighbors, friends, and co-workers. And there were still too many.
These simple and quick pickles proved to be the perfect solution to our problem. Not only are they delicious, but now we can't seem to get enough of them. My sons take them for lunch every day and we all eat them with dinner every night.
Believe me, making pickles will make you appreciate why pickles cost so much at the grocery store. Between the slicing, prep and cooking, they are labor intensive.
To make six quarts or 12 pints of pickles you'll need the following:
45 - 60 medium cucumbers thinly sliced
3 medium sweet yellow onions sliced thinly
6 Tbsp Kosher or pickling salt
9 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
12 cups Apple Cider Vinegar
3 Tbsp Mustard Seed
6 cloves of garlic smashed -- place one in each jar
1 1/2 Tbsp black peppercorns
2 tsp red pepper flakes
Slice cucumbers into thin slices
Slice onions into thin slices and separate
Combine the cucumbers and onions evenly among containers
Sprinkle with Kosher or pickling salt evenly and stir
Place salted cucumber/onion mix in refrigerator for one hour
In a stock pot combine the vinegar, sugar, garlic and spices
Bring to a boil and dissolve sugars -- allow to cool
Pack cucumbers/onions into clean jars
Fill the jars so everything is covered with brine
Close the lid tightly and refrigerate for 24 hours before eating.
This recipe should not be used for canning and is good for up to 1 month in the refrigerator.
