Sweet and Spicy Bread and Butter Pickles

I am a little (OK...a lot) late in posting this. I went on a pickling frenzy this past summer. Not the complicated canning version with boiling water and sterilized lids, but the simpler refrigerator version. Essentially you prepare the pickles as usual, but then have to keep them in the refrigerator and use them up before four or five months are up. No problem if they turn our as deliciously as mine did.


Now you don't have the bounty of the farmer's market to use in this, but you can certainly find quality cucumbers or yellow squash at your grocery store...even in the bleakest winter. So whip up a batch of these and have a little taste of summer. (And then of course make them again with the tasty baby cucumbers you'll buy at the farmer's market in a couple of months.)


This recipe is loosely adapted from one in Martha Stewart Living. Experiment with your own spice mixes to make it your own. (Hint: Hit the bulk spice section of your grocery so you don't have to buy whole bottles of these spices. It can get expensive, and you're not likely to use them all any time soon.)


Sweet and Spicy Bread and Butter Pickles
Makes about 6 cups.


2 pounds cucumbers or yellow squash, cut into 1/8 inch thick rounds (about 6 1/2 cups)
1 medium white onion (about 8 ounces), halved and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
2 heaping tablespoons coarse salt
2 cups ice cubes
3 cups cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
3/4 teaspoon celery seed
3/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon dill seed
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

To draw out excess liquid and increase crunch, toss cucumbers and onion with salt in a large colander. Add ice, and toss again. Place over a bowl, and refrigerate, tossing occasionally, for 3 hours. Drain. Rinse well, and drain again.

Bring vinegar, sugar, mustard and rest of the spices to a boil in a saucepan. Add cucumbers and onion. Return to a boil (if using squashes, add them, then remove from heat; do not return to a boil).


Ladle into jars and allow to cool slightly. Then seal jars and store in refrigerator for up to four months.