Tuesday, June 26, 2012

15 Minute Sweet Pickles


   This is the busy time of year for a lot of people. Yeah, I know it's vacay time and the kids are out of school and at their leisure, but sometimes the "fun" never stops. It's not as nutty as it gets in Winter with relatives descending and present shopping and planning for new Years Eve... or not. The Summer may get kicked off with Memorial Day and end with Labor Day but during that whole 3 and 1/2 month period it pretty much leaves us alone. It only gives us one Holiday to sweat and that's the 4th of July. Now 4th of July, big deal you might say where's the work in that?  Throw a couple of burgers or hot dogs at people, open a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos, BAM! End of story.

   But how about adding a homemade touch to your cookout, picnic, potluck? Wouldn't it be cool to be able to whip open a jar of Sweet Pickles and say you'd made them yourself? But how to do that without going all Holly Hobby with special equipment and stuff? I always thought pickles had to be hard until the day when I found myself buying a jar and thought..this little jar is $4.00, pickling cucumbers are $1.00 a pound, what the hell am I doing here? There's gotta be an easy, cheap, healthy way to do this at home.

  You know anything with a number in front of it has to be easy, right?

   Like 7 Minute Abs.



   Well, I found 15 minute pickles. Where pray tell? I think it was in a magazine, or maybe the paper way back when, but I've been making them for quite a while, I can tell you that. These pickles are so fast and easy you can make 'em at home in the morning and have them on your burger for lunch. All you need are pickling cucumbers, some basic spices and a microwave. No, you don't even need to use canning jars. Told you it was easy.
 

15 Minute Microwave Sweet PIckles



Here's What You Need: 

1 lb of pickling cucumbers washed and sliced in medium pieces. You don't want your pickles too thick or too thin.

1 cup of white sugar
 1 tsp of celery seed
 1 tsp of turmeric
 2 tsp of brown mustard seed
 4 tsp of kosher salt
 2 small  thinly sliced onions



 1 cup of white distilled vinegar



Here's What To Do:

Place everything in a microwave safe bowl.


Mix it together.
Put it in the microwave on high for 4 minutes.


Take it out and stir it around.
Put it back in the microwave for an additional 3 minutes
Take it out. You are done!


Let them cool. The pickles can then be placed in the fridge a clean container, or even the one you cooked them in. Put a lid on them. It's that easy.

If you want to bottle them, sterilize canning jars and lids and add the hot pickles.


Wait for the little seal to "pop" and tell you everything's okay, then store the bottled pickles in the refrigerator.

   Try this once, and you will never buy pickles again. You can also add your own touches to the process. Sometimes I drop in a sweet hot chili pepper and make sweet, hot pickles. It's all up to you and whatever you imagine.

   Coming up next a cool and gluten free change from the usual holiday pasta salad. Follow along on Twitter @kathygori

9 comments :

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks, I've made very few things that are this easy

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  2. You'd be a big hit everywhere by bringing these.

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    Replies
    1. I always break them out for holiday cook outs!

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  3. I love sweet pickles. I used to make many jars of them but haven't in years and now I'm inspired! I bought a jar of some local pickles a couple of weeks ago. I literally ate the whole jar in one sitting. No sandwich, no chips, nope...just pickles!

    Thanks for this...I can do this, I just know it! :)

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    Replies
    1. Barbara, they're crazy easy. I have a really simple dill pickle recipe too, given me by an old guy here in Sonoma which is fabulous, maybe I'll post that too.

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  4. These look great! If you hot water bath can them shouldn't they do ok on the shelf? Or do these truy need to be kept refrigerated?

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    Replies
    1. I have to be honest and say I don't know. It's so easy I usually just make a few bottles and keep them in the fridge

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  5. I've been on a complete "pickle craze" these past few weeks - simply can't get enough of them! Next batch... definitely adding the tumeric!!

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