Tasters’ Choice: Bread-and-Butter Pickles

My cucumbers are producing like crazy this year. Seriously. To savor the bountiful harvest, I’ve filled our garage fridge with a variety of tangy, sweet, garlicky, dilly and curried delights. We taste-tested the menagerie when my Aunt Nancy and cousins Courtney, Jared, Chloe, Grace, Blake, Celia, Tenley and Mia visited recently. The girls declared these bread-and-butter pickles their favorite. I have to agree, they’re almost perfect…not too sweet and nicely crisp. Great on sandwiches and charcuterie boards, I might even chop some up and toss them in potato salad. Thanks to “Vegetables Illustrated” for the inspiration. Let me know what you think!

2 pounds cucumbers, sliced 1/4 thick
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons kosher salt
3 cups cider vinegar
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1. Toss cucumbers, onion and bell pepper with salt and refrigerate of 3 hours. Drain in colander (do not rinse) and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Bring water, vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, turmeric, celery seeds and cloves to boil over medium high heat; remove from heat.
3. Fill four 1-int jars with hot water to warm them. Drain jars, then pack with vegetables. Pour hot brine and spices over vegetables to cover (a ladle and funnel make this easier).
4. Let jars cool and cover with lids. Refrigerate for at least 1 day before serving. They’ll keep three months if you don’t gobble them up before then