Quick Pickled Cucumbers

I was having a hard time finding anything to write about for this post. While they are incredibly delicious, there’s not really a story behind these pickled cucumbers other than the fact that I needed to get rid of them (the cucumbers, that is).

When I exclaimed that I just wasn’t in a very inspiration mood, Dan asked if he could have the computer and wrote this excerpt:

“Hi gang! This week was a doozy! So what does a girl do when she’s got yummy veggies, vinegar, and not a lot of time?????? Quick pickled cucumber!!!!!!!!”

He said I use a lot of exclamation points.

The most obvious thing to talk about would be my newfound love of all things pickled. Or the fact that I have been a little overwhelmed by some of the things we received in our CSA box this summer. I think that the volume is manageable, as long as both of us are home and I plan everything around some of the vegetables that we get. Like, how do I even cook fennel in the same week with a bunch of parsley and dill? For one, we learned we do not like fennel and I have never in my life cooked with dill. I thought parsley was a garnish, not an ingredient.

Anyways, cucumber is nice but it’s not anything I would plan an entire meal around. I used to eat them as a snack but overall they seem a little blah by themselves. Putting stuff in a jar and letting it sit for an extended period of time kinda freaks me out, but my friend recently told me about quick pickling and it was totally up my alley. These quick pickled cucumbers are ready in a short about of time, allow you to get rid of a lot of extra veggies in your fridge, and takes minimal planning (I guess Dan was pretty close, then). I threw some onions in the jar with the cucumbers, but you could easy introduce carrots, jalapeños, or radishes in the mix.

These cucumbers are ready to eat in a little as 30 minutes, and can sit in the fridge for up to a full day. If you are a big fan of the crunch, I would eat these within 8 hours  of preparing. They are great as a topping, on a sandwich, or even just on there own. I’m guilty of literally eating half a jar in one sitting.

Hope you all had a great week, I’ll be watching the olympics for the rest of the weekend week.

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Quick Pickled Cucumbers 

Servings: 16 oz

Time: 30 minutes

 

Ingredients:

• 1 medium large cucumber
• 1 medium sweet onion
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 TBSP sugar
• 1/2 TBSP kosher salt
• 1 tsp chili powder or flakes (optional)

 

Directions: 

1. Cut cucumber and sweet onion into thin slices (about 2-3 mm thick). Layer cucumbers and onions in a 16 oz canning jar and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, bring remaining ingredients to a boil so that all the sugar and salt has dissolved. Remove from heat and let rest for about 10 minutes.
3. Transfer liquid to jar and fill until all cucumbers are covered. If you have to push them down a little or wedge them in the side to keep them submerged, that’s okay. Allow mixture to cool before sealing. Enjoy cucumbers in a little as 30 minutes and up to 1 day. Store in airtight container in the fridge prior to serving.