Easy Pickled Cucumbers

Hmmmm...I bought some English cucumbers at a warehouse outlet last week and I almost forgot about them. My eyes widened when I saw them at the store and I just had to get them. At that particular time, these cucumbers came three in a pack and I almost had a panic attack when I saw them in the refrigerator today! I really hate to throw away food, so I had this ingenious idea of making them into an easy pickled cucumbers before they turn all mushy on me. There's just so much of them we can eat in salads and I can only use a couple of them to reduce puffiness around my eyes (during spa days in my house...hahaha...like I have the time to pamper myself!) and besides sweet pickled cucumbers is a great accompaniment with grilled fish or meat.

Anyway, I like the English variety because they're longer and has less seeds than the regular waxy cucumbers that you normally find in the stores. They're good for just about anything. Below is my easy way of pickling. No mess, no boiling and didn't I say, no mess??? Well, I'm sure you got the whole picture. Anyhow, vinegar is considered a great preservative and has been used since ancient times. So I figured with this simple process will keep these cucumbers fresh indefinitely. Well, I do hope so :-)

Ingredients:
3 English Cucumbers
Vinegar
Sugar
Salt and Pepper
Dill Weed
1 tsp Ground Alum
Celery Seeds
Mason Jars and Lids

Directions:
Wash cucumbers thoroughly. You can leave them unpeeled or not. I chose to peel the thin skin anyhow for this recipe. Thinly slice cucumbers into round disks. Prepare your mason jars. Make sure they're washed and cleaned. Fill jars with vinegar about halfway through. Add a few Tablespoons of sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Add a few teaspoons of Dill Weed and Celery Seeds. Then lastly add a teaspoon of alum powder. This will keep them fresh and crispy. Cover the jars with lid. Shake 'em up to mix all the seasonings together. Then, add slices of cucumbers until you almost hit the top. Cover and refrigerate. Use as a side dish or accompaniment to your meals.

Pucker up, Sweet Ones! Enjoy! Muy delicioso! =)

For tonight's dinner, I served this with Grilled Bangus (milkfish) seasoned with Lemon Seasonings, Strips of Beef Tapa and Grape Tomatoes with Olive Oil and Bittersweet Herb Farm Balsamic Vinegar with Maple Syrup. Oh, so yummy! This meal brings me home!