This lesson is 406 words, a 1 min 37 sec reading time. It is the sixth lesson of Lunch 2.0.

📍 Introduction: 

Salty, sweet, tangy, & crunchy, bread & butter pickles bring tremendous flavor and texture to myriad weekday staples. They are delicious alongside rich meats, heaped onto sandwiches, or even nibbled alone as a pre-dinner snack. Taking ~10 minutes of active work and lasting for weeks, this condiment is exceptionally high leverage. 

While jarred, shelf-stable b&b pickles are highly convenient, they can often be syrupy sweet and a bit mushy. When made at home, these pickles are crispy, refreshing, and seasoned precisely as you like. Pickling spice is highly flexible, and you can have quite a bit of fun experimenting with your brine and spice blend. 

Go ahead and get creative. They're your pickles. Make them how you like them. 🎨

🧂 Ingredients: 

* 1 lb pickling cucumbers (e.g., kirbys) 

* 2 tbsp kosher salt 

* ¼ cup light brown sugar 

* ⅓ cup vinegar (e.g., cider, white) 

* 3 tbsp pickling spice (e.g., $$) 

* ~1/3 cup hot water (optional) 

* 3 sprigs dill (optional)

* 2 garlic cloves (optional) 

✅ Instructions: 

* Wash & trim cucumbers. Then slice thin (a mandolin helps). 

* Toss with salt in a colander over a plate. Refrigerate for ~2 hours.   

* Heat the pickling spices, sugar, & vinegar together in a small saucepan. Alternatively, dissolve sugar in hot water. 

* Combine with remaining ingredients & cucumbers in a large glass jar.  

* Refrigerate for up to 1 month. 

📝 Notes Tips & Tricks: 

* The fresher the cucumbers are, the crisper the pickles will be.  

* Pickling spice is easy to make from what you have. A few ideas include mustard seed, allspice berries, peppercorns, coriander seeds, celery seeds, whole cloves, ground ginger, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, chilies, cumin, turmeric. 

* If available, ready-made pickling spice is a time saver.  

* For extra flavor, toast the spices in a pan before adding them to the brine. 

* Pickling salt is not necessary. Kosher salt is equally pure (e.g., iodine free) 

* Pickling is more art than science, and recipes vary tremendously. Some common variations include: rinsing off the salt, adding onions/peppers, grinding the spices, etc. Don't sweat the minutiae. It is hard to mess these up! 

* For shelf-stable pickles, sterilize the jars and follow instructions for canning.  

* A famous depression-era sandwich consisted of bread & butter with pickles (hence the name "Bread & Butter" pickles 😉). 

🎓 Further Study

* Bread & Butter Pickles [NYTimes]

* DIY Bread-and-Butter Pickles Recipe [YouTube]

* Homemade Pickling Spice [All Recipes]

* How to Make Great Depression-Style Sweet Pickles [YouTube]

———

📚 Want to learn more? Check out the Table of Contents or Collections.

🎧 Prefer to listen? Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, or Overcast.

🗣 Discussion topic: What’s your favorite type of pickle? Comment below👇

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.trylifeschool.com