Oh, boy, do we LOVE our friends, fans and customers! Our Instagram friend Denise recently provided us with this fabulous Mason jar pickle recipe, and we had to share! I picked up some cucumbers this morning at our neighborhood farm stand (yes, Denver still has little farms scattered here and there!) and they have these recipes written all over them! OK, take it away, Denise!
Here are two different recipes. The quick pickle one I usually use the smallest number on the mandolin, so they are pretty paper thin pieces. And they are *super* vinegar-ey…so that’s up to you if you add more sugar. I’ll just give you the basics. I usually let them sit in a bowl for 30 minutes, and then I put them in a small mason jar. They are good for a week or more, though ours don’t last. These I do because my other recipe takes 24 hours before they are good. If we are doing burgers, or something that like that last minute – they are good to do quickly. And, well, I just love pickles.
The other recipe is Ah-mazing. You can slice them however you’d like, but we like the 2nd number on the mandolin. We’ve also done spears, but for some reason my kids prefer the slices better.
Also – make them as hot as you’d like. I add cut jalapenos and serranos to nearly every jar, or just sliced super thin over the quick pickles.
I hope you like them!
Quick pickles:
2 jalapenos, thinly sliced
2 kirby or 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
2 cups white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar (or to taste)
½- 1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp dill seed (I’ve also used fennel seed)
1 tsp coriander
Combine everything except the jalapenos and cucumber in a small pot and bring to a boil. Pour over prepared veggies. Allow to sit until liquid is room temperature. Drain and serve. (Don’t store in the liquid…or in much of the liquid – because they get REALLY tart.)
24 hour pickles: This recipe is for 1 quart jar – but I do as many as I have pickles for. So I cut the cucumbers all up – pack them tight in the jars, and go from there. The recipe is for just 1 jar.
As many cucs as you can fit in the jar
5 sprigs of fresh dill, or 1 TBSP dry dill
2-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 TBSP white vinegar
1 TBSP kosher salt
Distilled or filtered water – enough to top off the jar
10-20 black peppercorns
¼- ½ tsp red pepper flake
½ – 1 tsp dill seed
½ 1 tsp mustard seed
Put 3 Tablespoons of vinegar in the bottom of each jar. Add the spices – and fill the jar as tight as you can with the cucumbers, dill, garlic and sliced or whole peppers (if you want them spicy). Once everything is in the jar, fill to the very top with distilled or filtered water, and screw the lid on super tight. Shake the jar to distribute the flavors, and leave on your countertop for 12 hours. Shake again, and turn the jar upside down for another 12 hours (make sure the lids are good and tight). After they have sat for 24 hours, shake them up one more time really well, and store in refrigerator. You can eat them right away – but they are better chilled. These are best eaten in the first 24 hours.