It seems just about everyone has a pickle recipe posted at the moment, but after a long run of cucumber salads I still had a few of them in the fridge and had to do something with them. Most recipes call for celery seeds, but I couldn’t find them anywhere here so I just omitted them. Apart from that, there is virtually no variation from the traditional recipe except that this makes a small batch. These are delicious on a sandwich with mature cheddar – sweet and tangy but without that metallic aftertaste that many store-bought pickles have.

Ingredients

2 medium garden cucumbers
2 red peppers (capsicums)
1 large white onion
1/4 cup salt
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon white mustard seeds
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
3 cups apple cider vinegar

Directions

Slice cucumber and onions thinly and cut peppers into thin strips. Mix vegetables with salt and a tray of of ice cubes. Place in a heavy pot, cover and let stand for two to three hours.

Drain vegetables well and return to pot.

Mix sugar and spices with vinegar and pour over vegetables. Place over low heat and, stirring occasionally, heat mixture to hot but not boiling.

While vegetables are heating, sterilise 4 x 250ml jars and lids for preserving.

Pack hot vegetables into sterilised jars, top up with enough liquid to cover them (making sure not to trap any air bubbles) and seal. Process after sealing according to your preferred method.