Just opening my last jar of Sweet and Sour Pickled Cucumber. I've been eking them out since last July as I only made 4 and a bit jars because it was a new to me recipe.
The recipe was Oxburgh's Sweet Cucumber Pickle, and came from the National Trust book of Jams, Preserves and Edible Gifts and uses cucumbers plus onion, celery, salt, cider vinegar, mustard seeds, soft brown sugar with a little turmeric and ground cloves.
I'm planning to make more this year - even though I'm not a massive fan of vinegary pickles - but because this has the bit of sweetness, it's not too sharp and it's good to eat with so many things. This year I'll leave the cucumber and celery in slightly bigger pieces.
I've got 3 cucumber plants in the greenhouse, all about a foot tall so far. I'll be nipping the first flowers off two of the plants so they put on more growth and using the third plant as a 'sacrificial' - letting it grow cucumbers early until it wears itself out.
This all reminded me that I'd planned to sow a couple more cucumber seeds later than my first sowing in the hope of having some to eat into later autumn. I've left the packet of seeds in the kitchen now to remind me to sow at the end of this month.
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Sue
I really must have a go at making this. We always end up with far too many cucumbers, despite giving so many away to neighbours and passing strangers!
ReplyDeleteI seem to get lots all at once and then they don't go on too long - hoping to remedy this
DeleteI must check this out. Oxburgh Hall is not far from us, and one of my favourite NT spots. And I love cucumbers!
ReplyDeleteI've just added the recipe to the recipe page. The book says they make it at Oxburgh but I doubt they do that now. Got a shock with how much sugar is in the recipe!
DeleteHaving a bit of sweetness in a pickle makes it so much nicer (well, that's what I think anyway!).
ReplyDeleteAnything too vinegary is too sharp for my liking. Love beetroot but not in vinegar and not a fan of pickled onions.
DeleteI love cucumber fresh and juicy. Cucumber pickle sounds interesting. I don't eat many pickles but enjoy them when I do. The sugar content is always a little surprising.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a good recipe, I agree on the need for just a touch of sweetness in pickles and chutneys. If I want cucumbers this year I'll have to hope my neighbours grow some.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
When I copied the recipe and realised how much sugar there is in it I can see why it's so delicious! But maybe I'd better not make too much after all
DeleteFor us it was more runner bean chutney required...luckily we had lots of beans in the freezer so I was able to cook up a batch.
ReplyDeleteThat's one of the few chutneys that I can happily Not make! Runner beans in chutney is just so wrong!
DeleteI've just sown a dozen runner bean seeds and hope to have a better crop to eat fresh than the last two years which have been awful.
Your pickles sound delicious. My grandmother grew cucumbers and made her own pickles. She called them "bread and butter" pickles. They also had a sweetness to them. They were sliced discs. I'm making salads daily now. The greens are not locally grown but they are organic. Warmer weather means dinner salads with lots of extras.
ReplyDeleteIt must be really rewarding to make pickles from things you've grown. I used to do a bit of canning when the children were younger, but not lately. Sigh. It's one of those things I enjoyed, but no longer do.
ReplyDelete