bread and butter pickles

last summer, our daughter margo came over from kazakhstan for a welcomed visit home. bright and early one morning, she went out to the garden, picked all of our ready-to-pick cucumbers and then set to work in the kitchen making a jar of bread and butter pickles. i had just been limiting myself to simply slicing the garden cucumbers into salads all summer but margo thinks outside the box. we love her for that. we enjoyed that jar of pickles until they were gone then sliced new cucumbers into the remaining brine and enjoyed them again. here is my attempt this summer, now that i'm feeling more freedom to do these satisfying pasttimes, to recreate last summer's garden cucumber memory, sans margo :(

Bread and Butter Pickles

2 pounds pickling cucumbers, sliced                                       2 cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 yellow onion, sliced                                                          1 tablespoon mustard seed

2 red jalapeno peppers, sliced into rings                               1 teaspoon celery seeds

3 tablespoons kosher salt                                                       1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

2 cups distilled white vinegar                                                1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 cup white sugar                                                                  1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 cup water

Collect cucumbers, onion and peppers in a bowl. Pour kosher salt over all, stirring to coat completely. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in refrigerator for 2 - 4 hours, stirring now and then. 

Transfer cucumber mixture to colander and rinse under cold water for 3 - 4 minutes to remove all salt. Drain.

Combine vinegar, sugar, water, mustard seed, celery seed, peppercorns, tumeric, and ground cloves in a saucepan and stir. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes for brine flavors to combine. 

Add cucumber mixture to brine, stir. Bring mixture to almost boiling then remove from heat and cool completely. 

Transfer pickles and brine to jars and store in refrigerator.

i wanted to share a photo i took along hwy. 6 outside wellington, utah on a recent road trip paul and i took to meet up with family members visiting from south africa and london. what a treat that was! thanks for making the long haul margo, tony and emma!

If you truly love Nature,

    you will find beauty 

                everywhere.

                                             - Vincent Van Gogh