In a bit of a pickle



There are few things in life that make me feel as rapturous as a row of freshly preserved produce in my pantry. These jars of pickled cucumber catch the light, exposing the secretive spices and emerald-tinged fruits.



It is with mixed emotion that I greet the moment when I fill the house with the smell of pickling vinegar. It signifies the end of summer and bids farewell to that heady relaxation that all teachers fall into once a year. Having said this, I am an 'autumn person' and the warmth and comfort that one feels when pickling and preserving fruit and vegetables for the winter months is unmatchable. Today, on the eve of August Bank Holiday Monday, I am dealing with over 16lb of outdoor-grown cucumbers presented to me by my father who had a major glut, as well as a look of desperation in his eyes. In spite of having our own cucumbers, I couldn't resist the notion of making oodles of cucumber pickle so I was all too happy to take them off his hands.

'Bread and Butter Pickle' in its early stages.

The cucumber pickle I made today is given the delightfully prosaic name of 'Bread and Butter Pickle' in an old vintage collection of preserve recipes. My husband discovered this pickle and was making it before we were married. It is a sweet pickle, not unlike the sort of pickle that accompanies Thai food, and full of mustardy, vinegary oomph. After this pickled cucumber has been left to infuse for the obligatory three months, I confess to literally scoffing it straight from the jar late at night with a fork! We have come to the conclusion that the reason it is called 'Bread and Butter Pickle' is because it is so scrumptious you can eat it 'neat' or simply with the the nakedness of bread and butter. I have made masses of it to give as presents as well as for our own midnight feasts; with or without some local Norfolk Dapple Cheddar cheese or a Brays Cottage Pork Pie. I apologise for the in-exactness of this recipe-it's one of those you just need to 'feel' based on quantity of cucumbers and preference of sweetness.

Bread and Butter Pickle

Distilled Vinegar (Comes in pint bottles and depends on how many cucumbers you have!)

Cucumbers-sliced

Yellow mustard seeds-plenty

Dried chilli flakes (optional)

White sugar

1 teaspoon turmeric

Clean and sterilise your jar/jars based upon the fact you want to really pack these pickles in. Better to have two jars of packed perfection than four jars of random floating cucumbers. In a large pan, heat up the vinegar, mustard seeds, chilli flakes and turmeric. Then add the sugar until dissolved. Lots of tasting comes in here and depends on how sweet you like it. Trust me, sweeter is better. I reckon four heaped tablespoons per pint at least. Throw in the cucumbers and bring to the boil. Basically, you want the cucumbers to go from green to yellow and soften until starting to look vaguely transparent. Spoon the soft, sweet cucumbers into the jar and top with enough vinegar to cover the fruits. Put the lid on immediately so that it forms a seal.



The cucumbers beginning to take on a turmeric tinge, but not quite transparent enough to jar. At least five more minutes of boiling from this point.

 

Forget custard, this is real Ambrosia-food of the gods!

I have recently resurrected some ancient Kilner jars with the old screw top and glass lid. A friend of ours gave us stacks of these, but we couldn't use them because the rubber seals were either missing or useless. I have since discovered http://www.preservingjarparts.co.uk/ who sell all the spare bits to get your old pre-1960 preserving jars up and running again. Whilst we may just give our regular jam jars away, we will be holding on to these beauties. The website was so helpful in identifying the four different types of preserving jar that had been gathering dust in the barn.

 

The jar on the right made in green glass was manufactured between 1919 and 1932. The one on the left is a 'new improved Kilner jar' and was manufactured between 1948 and 1969.



I have filled these jars with a simple layering of raw cucumber slices and topped them with a hot sour dill pickle mixture. The green-ness of these old jars deserve a cleaner and more 'pure' vinegar-not much sugar and no yellow turmeric!