Quick pickles

Thank you for all the good pickle recipes and links.  I've got the pickling cukes cut into spears, sitting in ice water so I can process them tonight.  I'll let you know how that goes.

The non-pickling cucumbers are getting their own chance to shine in the form of refrigerator or quick pickles.  There are lots of good recipes/links for this kind of pickle in the cucumber post, too.  Here's how I do it:

Peel and then slice your cucumbers to the desired thickness. You can slice them thinly or up to a 1/4 inch, whatever you desire.  Pack the slices tightly in jars.  Add a few peppercorns (maybe 6 or so?) and a couple slices of onion to each jar.  In a saucepan over high heat, combine a mixture of sugar and vinegar in a 1 to 2 ratio (for these 9 pint jars, I used 3 cups of sugar and 6 cups of vinegar).  Stir until the sugar dissolves. When the mixture comes to a boil, pour it over the cucumbers leaving about 1/2 inch headroom in each jar.  Put the lid and screw ring in place and move to the refrigerator.  They'll be ready to eat in about four hours and will keep for a week or so.

Have a great weekend. I hope to rip some stitches and maybe sew some, too.