A friend of ours gave me a bag of luscious cucumbers from her family harvest. It is hard to say “no” to such a delicious and fresh gift ...but what am I going to do with all those wonderful stalks of green? Gazpacho, of course, see my recipe from June 6th on the blog!
Next up, PICKLES! My husband loves pickles - any pickle, any flavor. He grew up in a household that always had a jar of pickles on the dinner table no matter what they were eating!
Here’s my recipe-that-isn’t-a-recipe for pickles:
2 cups of apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of sugar
6-8 cloves of garlic smashed
2-4 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
Slice 3 cucumbers on a mandoline (or cut them very thin)
Heat the vinegar on medium heat and add the sugar. Cook until the sugar melts and is fully incorporated with the vinegar.
Add the remaining ingredients and warm them all together.
Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Pack the slices of cucumber into a container, glass or plastic, cover with the vinegar mixture, seal, and allow to ferment in the refrigerator.
You can eat them right away but the longer they sit the better they become!
Pickle recipes vary widely and there are lots of great options! If you like other flavors you can add them in. The day I made the pickles pictured here I used what I found in my pantry. You can also add: sliced jalapeños, sliced red onions, sprigs of dill, or whatever flavors you like!
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