Our garden is going CRAZY with CUCUMBERS! We have Straight 8 and also a Parisian cucumber that is great when small.
I saw a recipe here similar to the one I'm about to post, but thought by posting I could maybe bring this topic to the forefront as we all get busy preserving our harvests.
I tried this recipe a couple of years ago and was so surprised - in the dead of winter - when I remembered those little bags of cucumbers in the freezer... they were like a burst of sunshine and fresh garden goodness, they tasted SO FRESH! And crunchy! I was won over for the simplicity and great taste, and tonight I'm making yet another double batch. The recipe is from a book called Small Batch Preserving, by Topp & Howard. (I really like that book...)
Without further adieu, here's the recipe.
FREEZER BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES
A fast variation of a traditional favorite, this easy recipe requires little preparation and no processing time. Either English or small pickling cucumbers can be used.
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4 cups thinly sliced cucumbers (about 3/16 inch or 4mm thick)
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 sweet red pepper, thinly sliced
2 tsp pickling salt
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
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Place cucumbers, onion and red pepper in large non-reactive container. Sprinkle with salt and mix well. Let stand for 3 hours, stirring occasionally; drain. Rinse twice and drain thoroughly.
Heat vinegar in microwave oven for 30 seconds or warm slightly on the stove top. Combine vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds and turmeric in a small bowl stirring until sugar is dissolved. Pour over vegetables and mix well.
Pack vegetables into small freezer containers. Divide liquid and pour over pickles. Seal tightly and freeze. (NOTE: I just use quart freezer bags and always write something memorable on the bag about the day here at home or anything in the national or international news that might be happening at the moment I close the bag - it's just fun when the bags are unearthed! A veggie time-capsule, of sorts).
Store pickles in freezer up to six months*. Once thawed, use them within several days before they lose their crunch.
Makes about 3 cups (750 ML).
*NOTE - 6 months might be best, but in my experience these are still great up to almost a year.
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