August is my favorite time of year for gardening. It’s when the garden gives more than you can manage, and you don’t have to do any work (or very little). Right now, I’m on overload with cucumbers and I’ve had one too many cucumber salads. So, I figured, time to make cucumber pickles. This pickle recipe is a win, win, win. In fact, my husband said, don’t bring these anywhere because he wants to eat them all.  I can hardly keep them to myself. I have a blog called BRING IT after all which is about sharing food with others.  I’d feel guilty if I did not share in the wealth.  My husband reluctantly agreed.  However, if I come bearing a jar of pickles to your house, you will also have to take a boat-load of cucumbers with it. That’s the price you pay!

Okay, on to the recipe. Enjoy the last few days of August and good luck to everyone trying to keep up with the summery bounty!

Ingredients

4 lbs cucumbers, cut into 1/4 inch disks
2 lbs onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup kosher salt
2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp mustard seed
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp celery seed
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp peppercorns
3 cups cider vinegar

Method

Wash and dry the jars.

Combine cucumber and onion slices in a large bowl, layering with salt; cover with ice cubes. Let stand 1 1/2 hours. Drain, rinse, drain, rinse again.  Combine remaining ingredients in large pot and bring to a boil.  Add drained cucumbers and onions and return to a boil.  Pack hot pickles and liquid into pre-heated jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles by tapping on counter or stirring gently with spoon.  Adjust 2 piece cap and process 10 minutes in boiling water canner.  NOTE: for shelf stability you will need to carefully follow canning process. Click here for link on canning instructions.