Garlicky Quickle Pickles

Garlicky Quickle Pickles

Okay, I admit it:  I am not fond of cucumbers generally.  They make me burp.  That's not nice.  But, recently, as a goodie for pet-sitting for the neighbors, I got to pick the fresh veg from their garden.....and that included two pickling cucumbers.  

Usually I'll make the cucumbers into Jajik (which I like but which still gives me tummy gas sometimes) or I'll roast them in the oven or I'll add them to soup.  But this time I just had these two little mid-size cukes.  What to do?  I remembered seeing something online about Quickles--quick pickles.  So I researched a dozen recipes and came up with my own version that combined several ideas that I had seen.  

1 cup pared and very thinly sliced cucumber
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 very thinly sliced garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon dillweed
1/4 teaspoon mustard seed

Scald a small jar with boiling water.  Put all the ingredients in the jar.  Put on the lid.  Shake it up.  Let the jar rest in the refrigerator overnight.  Enjoy.

And there you have it:  brilliant quickles!  Judging from what I read online, the quickles should be just fine if kept in the fridge for a week or even a month, but mine sure didn't last that long!  And they didn't make me burp.  I won't ever have to buy pickles again because these are just so much better than anything I ever got at the store!

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Of course, this reminds me also of how my mother used to serve cucumbers.  No exact measurements here--it's one of those speedy extras you might make just before supper while the potatoes are cooking.

Mother's Cucumber Salad

Score the peel of the cucumber with a fork.  Cut the end bits off the cuke.  Slice in 1/4 inch pieces.  Mix together ice water, apple cider vinegar, and dill weed--just enough liquid to almost float the cucumber slices.  (Mother also sometimes added a tiny bit of sugar as well.)  Place cukes and vinegar mix in a shallow bowl with several ice cubes.  Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes before serving.

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I think I'd like to try my Quickles with apple cider vinegar.  Honestly I was a bit horrified by the white vinegar because I've always thought of white vinegar as a cleaning product rather than a foodstuff.  Trying cider vinegar is something good to think about because yesterday I was given a small bag of cucumbers.  It's time for more Quickles!