Bread & Butter Pickles - and the health benefits of acetic acid

 I love pickles, especially the hard-to-find bread and butter ones. I once received a jar of handmade bread & butter pickles in a CSA box, over a decade ago and I've been thinking of them ever since!

Pickles are a good snack option, although their high salt content can be problematic for some people with high blood pressure or edema. And, some of the brands are filled with high fructose corn syrup. For most people, however, they are an excellent functional food. A tasty and healthy way to get a few more vegetables into you diet, plus, the health benefits of vinegar.

Vinegar is acetic acid, and acetic acid slows gastric emptying. That is, it helps your feel full faster and longer - which helps you eat less.  One great way to include vinegar is to eat salad at the beginning of your meal with a simple dressing of olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Any vinegar will be beneficial, it doesn't just have to be apple cider vinegar. Balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, rice vinegar all do it.  Pickles, of course, are another great way to get acetic acid.

The other week, we got a box of "field cucs" and a fistful of whole dill from the farm stand and decided to make some homemade pickles.  They are delicious - in fact, I'm eating one right now! I'm posting the recipe below for making approximately a single quart jar of pickles. Classic dill pickles are excellent too.

Assembling the ingredients

Sterilized hot jars, ready for filling

Once the jars are filled, the boiling brine mixture is poured over the cucumbers.  Then hot sterile lids are put on...

And you've got pickles!

Recipe

Bread & Butter Pickles (here's the original from Saveur)

4 persian or kirby or other small cucumbers, thickly sliced

1 shallot, chopped

1/4 red pepper, julienned

1 clove garlic

2-3 whole cloves

1 grape leaf (optional but it makes the pickles more crunchy)

1 T salt

1 cup hot water

2/3c. cider vinegar

3/4c. sugar

1 tsp mustard seed 

1/4 tsp celery seed

1/2 tsp turmeric

Make brine: In a pan, bring the salt, vinegar, water and spices to a full boil.

Pack the first 5(6) ingredients into a sterile, hot quart jar (dip the jar in boiling water) leaving 1/2 at the top.

Pour the brine over the cucumbers, covering everything but leaving an air space.

Cover with a new canning lid and gently tighten a ring to secure it.

Leave the jar sitting on the counter to cool - you'll hear a ping/pop when it cools enough to seal the jar.  If it doesn't seal, keep it in the refrigerator. 

Let it pickle for 2-3 days before eating.