Fresh Pack Bread & Butter Pickles with a Hint of Orange

These look superb to me!  I love the orange peel peeking through.

This is finally the last batch of pickles or anything else for this week!  I saw this on Martha Stewart's web site and after a little adaptation thought I would try it out.  There is no processing or water bath.  Rather you cook the cucumbers and pack into sterile jars and keep them in the refrigerator.  Sounds good to me!  I really like a hint of orange in crisp sweet pickles and thought it might go very well with this combination of spices.  I really like the black peppercorns too.

Ingredients for Fresh Pack Bread & Butter Pickles:

4 pounds cucumbers washed and sliced 1/4" thick
1 large sweet onion sliced
2 T. kosher salt (coarse)
4  C. ice cubes
4 C. apple cider vinegar
3 C. sugar
1 1/2 t. mustard seed
1  t. celery seed
1  t. black peppercorns whole
1/2 t. ground turmeric
Peel only of 1 orange (slice off thin strips of the orange rind only with a vegetable peeler)

Combine the cucumbers, onions, salt, and ice in a large bowl.  Leave for 3 hours.  Drain and rinse well and repeat again.  In a large pan heat the vinegar, sugar, strips of orange peel, and spices to a boil.  Stir to dissolve the sugar.  Add the drained vegetables and return to a full rolling boil.  Ladle into sterile jars and screw on sterile 2 piece lids.  Set aside to cool.  Store in the refrigerator for up to a month.  Yield 4 quarts.

Canning Zippy Bread & Butter Pickles

Bread & Butter Pickles

When I was thinking of what the heck to do with all of these cucumbers I Googled Crispy Pickles and this recipe is one of many that caught my eye.   Mostly because I have made a lot of pickles and never before seen a Bread & Butter Pickle recipe calling for a couple of jalapenos and grated fresh ginger, not to mention brown sugar.  This version calls for all three.  I was too curious not to try these so here they are.  They are finished, cooling on my counter, and looking fine.  As with all pickles they need to sit awhile before opening so I leave you with me, in suspense as to the flavor.  The recipe was found on Epicourious and I did do a little adaptation.

Ingredients for ZIPPY Bread & Butter Pickles :

2 1/2 pound cucumbers sliced about 1/4" thick  (mine were closer to 1/8") about 8 cups
2 large thinly sliced red onions, about 2 cups
1/3 C. pickling salt
2 C. apple cider vinegar
1 C. water
1 1/ 4 C. packed light brown sugar
1 T. grated peeled fresh ginger
1 T. turmeric
1 T. yellow mustard seeds
1 1/2 t. whole coriander seeds
1 t. celery seeds
2 fresh jalapenos or Fresno chilies pricked with a toothpick

Sterilize the jars and lids.

Toss together the cucumbers, onions, and salt in a large bowl.  Add 3-4 cups ice and set aside for 2-3 hours.   Drain; rinse well and drain again.

Combine the vinegar and the remaining ingredients with 1 cup of water in a large Pot and bring to a boil.  Stir to dissolve the sugar then add the cucumber mixture and return to a boil.

Ladle the hot vegetables and brine into clean sterile jars.  Press the vegetables to submerge  below the vinegar leaving 1/2" head space.  Wipe the rims.  Place the lids and bands onto the jars and process in boiling water bath 10 minutes.  (Water should cover the lids by at least 1" and start the time after the water comes to a full boil.)  Remove the jars to a clean kitchen towel and leave undisturbed to seal.

Yield about 2 quarts.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Garden

Brian came into the kitchen as I was flitting around with something or another.....he asked if I had seen the half eaten tomato up in the big Dogwood tree? (Big as Dogwoods go.) As I looked at him in disbelief he repeated that there was a half eaten ripe and juicy tomato lodged between the limbs out front in the Dogwood tree.

I looked at him in disbelief wondering if he was "pranking" me.  But then he seemed serious.  We went straight out the front door and to the tree and it was right there!  Big as life a fat red tomato wedged into the branches half eaten just as he had said.

Alas, by the time I got to the house and grabbed the camera the breeze, or gravity, or maybe the squirrel I suspect put it there had knocked it to the ground. 

This was not a small tomato, not a cherry tomato but a full sized 3" tomato!  I keep trying to imagine just how a squirrel, the suspect, got it from the vine, across the yard, up the tree, and wedged between the branches?  A funny thing happened on the way to the garden.