If you haven’t picked up cucumbers from Blue House Farms yet, now is the time. Quick pickling the cucumbers is simple and results in sweet, tangy pickles that are perfect on kabobs, in burgers, or thrown on salads. They’re easy to store and look great in jars––give them as a gift for your next breezy summer picnic or dinner party!

Photo by Emily Nathon.

This recipe adapted from Canning & Preserving by Ashley English.

3 pounds pickling cucumbers from Blue House Farms

2 cups distilled white vinegar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons pickling or kosher salt

6 whole garlic cloves, peeled

1 tablespoon fennel seed from Happy Boy Farms

1 tablespoon cumin seed

1 tablespoon corinder seed

1 tablespoon mustard seed

2 teaspoons whole cloves

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon star anise

Sanitize the containers that you will use to store your pickles. A glass mason jar works great, but any glass or ceramic dcontainer will work. Then, wash and scrub your cucumbers. Cut about 1/4 inch from each end, then cut each cucumber in half and place in a bowl. Combine 2 1/2 cups water with vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic, and spices in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. English’s original recipe excludes apple cider vinegar and star anise, but adding those ingredients will increase the sweetness of your pickles.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer. After five minutes, remove from heat. After the mixture has cooled for fifteen minutes, pour  over the cucumbers. Cover the bowl with a cloth, and allow to cool for an hour. Transfer to container and refrigerate.