When canning pickles, let taste buds guide you

Here’s a question I get asked a lot. “How do you decide which recipes to share each week?”

There’s no easy answer, really. What lands in this column sometimes depends on what’s growing in my gardens and what is seasonal. Then again, I may share a recipe that’s caught my eye regardless of the season.

But when it comes to readers’ requests, those take priority. So this week is all about pickles. For those of you who lost the recipe for heirloom two way bread & butters, here it is.

Refrigerator dills? These pungent, crisp pickles, adapted slightly from Jenn Segal’s recipe, are ready to uncap and eat in a day. That way you can take a jar to your labor day gathering.

Also, know that except for the brine, ingredients for pickles don’t have to be exact. When it comes to pickles, let your taste buds be your guide.

Two way bread and butter pickles

This recipe calls for canning salt, which has no additives. If you don’t have canning salt, regular salt works.

Ingredients

4 pounds cucumbers, cut into 1/4” slices

1-1/2 to 2 pounds onions, thinly sliced

1/3 cup canning salt

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons mustard seed

2 teaspoons turmeric

2 teaspoons celery seed

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon peppercorns

3 cups vinegar, clear or cider, 5% acid

7 pint canning jars with lids

Instructions

Combine cucumber and onions and layer with salt, cover with ice cubes and let stand 1-1/2 hours. Drain, rinse, drain again.

Combine remaining ingredients in pan and bring to boil.

Add cucumbers and onions and return to boil.

Pack hot pickles and liquid into hot jars, leaving 1/4” headspace. Remove air bubbles by running knife around inside edges.

Clean rims with wet, clean cloth.

Adjust two piece caps to seal.

Storing:

If you want pantry stable pickles process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

To store in refrigerator, cool to room temperature before refrigerating.

Tip:

When canning pickles, use new flat seals. The rings are reusable.

Refrigerator dills

Makes 2 quarts

Ingredients

1-1?4 cups clear or cider vinegar, 5% acid

3 tablespoons salt

2-3 teaspoons sugar or to taste

2 cups cold water?

2 pounds English or pickling cucumbers cut into spears?

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

Garlic to taste – I used a generous teaspoon minced in each jar

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Dash or 2 red pepper flakes (optional)

Dill seed – I used a generous teaspoon in each jar

Instructions

Combine vinegar, salt and sugar in pan. Cook over low heat and whisk until dissolved.

Pour into bowl and whisk in water.

Refrigerate brine until cooled or ready to use.

Put cucumbers into 2 quart jars.

Add coriander seeds, garlic, mustard seeds, pepper, dill, and chilled brine into jars, dividing evenly. If necessary, add a bit of cold water until brine covers cucumbers.

Cover and refrigerate about 24 hours. Pickles keep refrigerated several months.

Swap it out:

Sub in 1 tablespoon pickling spice in each jar for coriander and mustard seeds.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Two way bread and butter pickles recipe by Rita Nader Heikenfeld