Monday, July 11, 2011

I Did Play with Fabric!

Although I played with fabric and the Civil War blocks, nary a stitch was sewn yesterday.  However, I took the cucumbers I purchased at the farmers market Saturday and made...


...bread and butter pickles!


Talking with a couple of friends about making these, they stated that they did not like "sweet" pickles.  

"Do you mean like... sweet gherkins?"

"Oh yes... those are just too too sweet!"

"Have you have had a bread and butter pickle?"

"Aren't those the same as sweet gherkins?"

"Uh... no, they're not."

"What's the difference then?"

To me, bread and butter pickles are thinly sliced, small pickling cucumbers (as opposed to "eating cucumbers"... although I eat pickling cucumbers raw too), which are pickled with onions, cider vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, tumeric and other spices.  I like to add red pepper flakes for a little kick.


Some bread and butter pickles are sliced more thinly than I do, which makes them great to put on sandwiches.  I like bread and butter pickles "on the side" so slice them 1/4" thick....  still thin enough to put on a sandwich if you like.

They are sweet, yes... but not as nearly as sugary as sweet gherkins.  Bread and butter pickles definitely have that cider vinegar twang with a hint of mustard and a bit of a zing from the red pepper flakes.



Is that what you think of as bread and butter pickles?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Recipe:  Easy Bread and Butter Pickles 



 

14 comments:

  1. I don't think I have ever had bread and butter pickles with red pepper flakes...but I know they have just the right amount of sweetness that if you are not careful, you can eat a whole jar! They are good on sandwiches...or nice and crunchy just by themselves. They are not as sweet as a sweet gherkins. They are yummy. No fair. I don't know how to make them and now I will be craving them....

    Deb

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  2. I'll take both those jars - i love bread-n-butter pickles. I've made them twice and they turned out great both times.

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  3. They look scrumptious! Mine are sweet pickles, but the pickled squash I made had celery seed, mustard seed, tumeric and sugar and vinegar, so maybe a little bit like your bread and butter flavor. I know they will be good.

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  4. I love bread and butter pickles! Thanks for the recipe.

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  5. My favorite pickles. Long time ago we had a cabin on the N. Dakota/Canadian border and I had a small garden. Grew cucumbers and made bread and butter pickles, the only time.

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  6. Don't know that I've tried bread and butter pickles, but I don't like sweet pickles. I've only made dill pickles.

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  7. some bread and butter pickles were given to me last week, because a friend received some as a gift, politely said thank you, and re-gifted to me because I have a "rep" for likin' em, lol! I do not crave pickles, but b/b kind are the best homemade! My Grandmothers on both sides made them, as did Larry's Mom, and they are good...I bet your pepper flakes add a yummy zip to their taste!
    :-}pokey

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  8. Yummy!!! They look really really good! :-)

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  9. I love bread and butter pickles. I used to can mine, but now I buy MT OLIVE bread and butter pickles. They taste better thank mine.
    Love sweet gherkins, too. Love sweet pickles, period. Your post makes me want to go to the frig with a fork and eat some for dinner :)
    haha

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  10. My mom made the BEST bread and butter pickles. She gave me the recipe but whatever I did to them, they were soft and soggy - yuck! Wish I could make them like Mom.

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  11. You have posted two recipes this week that I must try. At this rate, you are going to make me even fatter!!
    Do you like figs? Seemingly random question but not entirely motiveless.
    Love the little "spools" kit you received how completely sweet of her. I hope you decide to start a hand project, it's really a great thing to have in your purse for unexpected downtimes and waiting rooms. I made almost half of my Dear Jane that way. My project box was slightly larger..I think it had been a box that held 2 decks of cards in its previous incarnation.

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  12. I'm always on the look out for good pickle recipes. Will have to give this one a try. I love them with a little hot kick to them. I was thinking about trying Jalapeno flakes in them but have a ton of chili pepper flakes from last year's garden.

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  13. Freezer pickles are my fav....if only I could grow cukes out here!

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  14. Mmm, those look yummy! Two years ago I pickled lemon cucumbers!

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