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Bread & Butter Cucumbers

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Bread & Butter Cucumbers

Overview
These are well worth the time. Great as a side dish, on a sandwich or on a burger. I’m still trying to work out how to get whole baby cucumbers to taste great and maintain their crunch.

Time
The cook time is quick, but there’s hours of waiting in the preparation and cooling.

Ingredients
4 continental cucumbers (or equivalent in Lebanese cucumbers), in 2mm slices (use a mandolin)
2 brown onions, thinly sliced with a mandolin
2 long red chilies, thinly sliced with a mandolin
6 TB kosher salt
ice cubes

3 cups white vinegar
2 ½ cups white sugar
1 TB yellow mustard seeds
4-5 bay leaves
1 ts coriander seeds
1 ts dill seeds
½ ts turmeric powder
1 cinnamon stick
1 ts whole cloves
2 ts black peppercorns

Equipment
Mandolin
Make sure there are plenty of sterile jars on hand for storage.

Method
1 – Place the cucumbers, onions and chillies in a bowl tossed with the Kosher salt and ice cubes. Cover with Glad wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours, draining and tossing every 30-45 minutes.

2 – Place the cucumber mixture in a colander and place under the tap for 6-8 minutes, rotating frequently. Remove excess water by blotting with paper towels.

3 – In a large saucepan, combine the other ingredients. Bring to the boil, then add the cucumber mixture. Once it returns to a simmer, cook for 2 minutes. Allow to cool in the saucepan.

4 – Reheat the mixture for bottling. Transfer the mixture into storage jars, adding enough liquid to cover the vegetables. Close the jars to the finger tight stage and allow to cool.

5 – Store in a cool, dark place.

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