My Apologies to White Vinegar

Did you know that pickles don't appear from the ether fully formed in all their pickley glory?  Did you know that pickley is not actually a word?  I just learned both of these things recently, so I thought I would share.

Why it didn't occur to me to try making pickles myself before now is really quite a mystery.  Especially bread and butter pickles.  For those of you who aren't familiar with this particular type of pickle, they are a traditional cucumber pickle that is less tart and slightly sweet in comparison to the more common dill variety.  According to my questionably trustworthy internet sources, there seems to be some discrepancy as to how they got the name bread and butter pickles.  Most sources seem to agree that they got their name during the Great Depression.  Some claim that they were so common during this period that they were as popular as "bread and butter".  Others say that due to lack of money, people would put these pickles between slices of buttered bread in place of meat or other costly ingredients.  I'm going to go with the former for no other reason that as much as I like these pickles, I can't quite wrap my head around the idea of a pickle sandwich.

However they got their name, they are delicious.  I love vinegar.  I have to admit, however, that I may be a bit of a vinegar snob.  My pantry has no shortage of vinegar varieties, with a good aged balsamic vinegar probably being my good old stand by.  I have a nagging hunch that I've steered clear of home pickling because of its use of white vinegar.  I don't know about you, but white vinegar has two strong associations for me:  the pungent aroma associated with easter egg coloring, and chemistry labs in college (white vinegar is essentially pure diluted acetic acid after all).  Regardless, it's not generally something I reach to in the kitchen with any sort of frequency.  But you know what?  I think I get it.  When you're pickling, white vinegar is like a acidic blank slate to which you can add your own flavors.  You just need to mix it with the right spices, some sugar, and of course some cucumbers.

I also feel I should mention how incredibly inexpensive these pickles are to make.  Assuming you have some basic spices on hand, pickling cucumbers, yellow onions, and white vinegar are all very budget friendly.  Which makes sense given their Depression era history.  So really, what excuses are left.  Go make some pickles.  Your wallet, and that neglected bottle of vinegar in the back of your pantry will thank you.

Bread and Butter Pickles
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen


Compared to other types of pickles, these come together fairly quickly.  And taste, well, pickled, after only a few hours.    That being said, you do have a couple hours of down time while the ice covers the pickle/onion mix.  I started the process a couple hours before going to bed, and when I pulled the jar out of the refrigerator the next morning, I had what I believe the finest breakfast pickle to ever pass through these lips.  While pickles might not be your ideal breakfast fare, it is nice to let them do their pickling overnight so that you're free to enjoy them at your leisure during the next day.

Another word of warning, bread and butter pickles are sweet.  That's the point, make some dills if sweet isn't your cup of tea.  That said, a lot of recipes call for ridiculous quantities of sugar.  I love for the tang of the vinegar and salt to work with the sugar rather than have them covered by it.  It's for this reason that I used a more conservative 1/2 cup of sugar for my pickles, but if you prefer your bread and butter pickles sweeter, feel free to add something closer to 3/4 cup.

This recipe also calls for traditional pickling cucumbers, also known as kirby cucumbers.  They aren't too hard to find, and I find them at a local Korean market for an extremely wallet friendly 75 cents a pound.  If your local store doesn't have this particular variety, I think that english cucumbers would do the trick.  You basically want a cucumber that you wouldn't need to peel before eating.

Prep time:  10-15 min. (probably faster if you can thinly chop onions faster than a certain someone...)
Cook time:  10 min.
Ready to eat after:  6 hours

Ingredients:
1 lb. kirby, or pickling cucumbers
1 large, or 2 small yellow onions
1/4 cup Kosher salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1 Tbsp. mustard seed
1 Tbsp. coriander seed (or 1 tsp. ground coriander)
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1 qt. jar (or similarly sized storage container).

Slice your cucumbers into 1/4" slices.  Also cut your onion(s) into thin slices.

In a large bowl, combine cucumber and onion slices with the Kosher salt and mix well.  Cover this mixture with ice and leave at room temperature for two hours.

In a medium pot, combine vinegar, sugar, turmeric, mustard seed, coriander seed, and celery seed, and bring to a boil.

Drain the cucumbers and onions, and add to the vinegar mixture.  Heat mixture until vinegar is just about to boil, but not boiling.  Remove from heat and cool.

Store refrigerated in a sealed quart jar.  Cucumbers start tasting pickley after only a few hours in the fridge.

Pickles should keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, or indefinitely if left in unopened sterilized canning jars.  I have never done the whole canning thing before, but more power to you if that's in your skill set.