northeast exposure
Jr. Member
Posts: 46
Hudson Valley, New York Zone 5-6
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« Reply #30 on: July 17, 2009, 05:37:31 PM » |
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Enjoy garden freshness all year long!
Bread and Butter Freezer Pickles
7 cups unpeeled cucumbers, sliced thinly
1 cup coarsely chopped red pepper
1 cup thinly sliced onion
2 Tb pickling salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 Tb celery seed
Place cukes, peppers and onions in large bowl. Sprinkle salt over mixture, then set in refrigerator for 2 hours.
Rinse well and drain in collander.
Mix sugar, vinegar and celery seed in a separate container until sugar dissolved.
Put cuke mixture in freezer bags or containers, covering well with brine.
Seal, then place in freezer.
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Deb
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« Reply #31 on: July 18, 2009, 03:32:52 AM » |
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This sounds super simple but I wonder why you don't let the brine 'work' on the cukes before freezing? It seems to me that they would have more flavor if you did.
Have you tried this recipe? Did they stay crunchy? Some veggies get limp in the freezer, and I think that cukes would.
It wouldn't be much more work to Boiling Water Bath these in jars and have them ready to use on the shelf instead of ready to thaw in the freezer.
I think it needs more onion though. I love onion pickled in bread & butter pickle brine. ;>
Deb
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northeast exposure
Jr. Member
Posts: 46
Hudson Valley, New York Zone 5-6
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« Reply #32 on: July 21, 2009, 05:31:42 PM » |
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Deb,
I make these almost every year, and I've cut down on the sugar over time. The cukes do get a little limp, but still maintain some crunch. If you like bread and butter pickles, I don't think you'll be disappointed. A 'must have' on my Thanksgiving dinner table and great with sandwiches.
Sue
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movrshakr
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« Reply #33 on: August 13, 2010, 07:01:50 PM » |
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Related question to this topic...
What type of vinegar is good with cucumber slices just to eat?
We cut up some and put distilled white vinegar on them, but that definitely did not give the right taste.
Ugh.
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2003 US National Arboretum "Web Version" of 1990 Hardiness Zone Map = Zone 9b. USDA Hardiness Zone Map by color = 9; by zip = 10. arborday map by color shows 10 as an isolated area surrounded by 9, 10 by zip.
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Deb
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« Reply #34 on: August 14, 2010, 04:57:51 AM » |
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I like a good white wine vinegar over sliced cukes. One year I experimented a lot and cider vinegar came in 2nd. Balsamic surprised me at last place - even behind distilled white, which has no flavor, just acid.
If you sprinkle the sliced cukes with salt and let sit for a bit (half hour or so) the crunch and taste are both improved.
Deb
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« Last Edit: August 14, 2010, 05:00:16 AM by Deb »
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PeteFrame
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« Reply #35 on: August 14, 2010, 05:10:32 AM » |
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Kappa roll. Ingredients: Handful of cooked short grain rice bit of rice vinegar, salt, sugar sprinkled on rice Sheet of roasted seaweed Rap and enjoy.  |
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︸_︸ _______________ Zone 8b - 9A
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wiserp
Active Member
Posts: 13
SE Wisconsin - Zone 5a
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« Reply #36 on: August 14, 2010, 09:48:56 AM » |
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Sliced Cukes & Tomatoes in a bowl with your favorite Italian Dressing on top. Some fresh ground black pepper and a pinch of salt, then kick back and enjoy with your favorite "A" or "NA" beverage. Does summer get any better?
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We are the People, our Parents warned us about. ~ Jimmy Buffet
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boxed-in
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« Reply #37 on: August 15, 2010, 11:19:32 AM » |
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Sliced Cukes & Tomatoes in a bowl with your favorite Italian Dressing on top. Some fresh ground black pepper and a pinch of salt, then kick back and enjoy with your favorite "A" or "NA" beverage. Does summer get any better?
If you were to add some thinly sliced red onions to the mix, replace the Italian dressing with just plain EV olive oil and lemon juice or maybe wine vinegar, and add some oregano along with the salt and pepper, you get my favorite Greek salad. Oh, I just remembered: you should probably add some black olives and feta cheese. There you go. Oh, what the hell, go ahead and add some fresh spinach too. Just a variation on the tomato/cucumber salad theme. Life can get as gloriously complicated as you want to make it.  |
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boxed-in
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« Reply #38 on: August 15, 2010, 11:44:39 AM » |
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 Oh, and I also like to use cukes (because they're so mild) as the base for green drinks or smoothies. These are "juices" that I make using various fresh veggies, herbs, and maybe a little bit of lemon or frozen juice concentrate and enough water or ice to get the thickness that you want. I use a Vita-Mix machine, but a regular blender would work too. I just make up the recipes as I go along, depending on what I have that needs to be used up. If you can't stand nutritious but strong-flavored veggies such as kale, collard greens, or parsley, the cukes tone them down, as do the juice concentrates. I've even added salad dressing, to make a "liquid salad" that was delicious and quick. The very best "fast food" you could possibly eat! And gazpacho! Don't forget gazpacho! Make it heavy on the cuke side, and you can make a dent in your cuke crop that way. One last recipe: Pick excess cucumbers. Wash. Dry. Place in a paper bag. Deposit on a neighbor's doorstep. Ring doorbell. Run and hide.
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JB
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« Reply #39 on: August 17, 2010, 04:53:25 PM » |
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What type of vinegar is good with cucumber slices just to eat? movr: Try lemon vinegar or just some lime juice. JB |
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~~ thought it was time to add a picture of my pooch to the ranks :-) ~~
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