Kirby Cucumbers and Pickles

It seems I've gone crazy with canning, putting up, putting by, whatever you want to call it. In the last couple months I've canned green beans, tomatoes, strawberry jam, pickled peaches, peach preserves, triple berry jam, onion/pepper relish, and now pickles. And I have really, really enjoyed doing it!

This weekend I made pickles that my husband asked for...he especially likes these. They're called Kinda Sorta Sours from an Alton Brown recipe that I've had for several years.
My extravagant recipe organizing system: I know approximately what folder it's in and I definitely know what the piece of paper looks like that it's written on! I'll put the recipe back where I found it.

The full recipe is below but in a nutshell, you start with cucumbers. These are Kirby cucumbers, the perfect cucumber for making pickles. They're peaking in season now so get them while they're hot! They are small, with thin skin and have great flavor and crunch. You wash the cucumbers, cut them in either spears or slices, slice onion and smash some garlic. Then you make your boiling liquid using vinegars, sugar, and spices.

Pack the jars, add the boiling liquid, add the lids that have been sitting in hot water. Once they're packed, turn them upside down for a couple minutes so that the seal gets hot and seals well, and you're done! I made 4X the recipe for this many jars. I'm going to get more Kirby cucumbers this week while they're available. Enjoy!









Alton Brown's Kinda Sorta Sours
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 medium cucumbers or about 6 Kirby's
1 cup water
1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup champagne vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp plus 2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp mustard seed
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp pickling spice
4 whole garlic cloves

Combine onion, cucumber slices and garlic in jars.
Combine remaining ingredients in non-reactive pan. Bring to boil and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour hot liquid over ingredients and seal.