Cool as a Cucumber

Bread and Butter pickles are my favorite summer flavor. I’m addicted. If you’re lucky enough to have cucumbers growing in your garden you probably share the feeling. I don’t have a garden, but we are regular members of Johnson’s Backyard Garden CSA. On Tuesdays a big box of fresh picked produce arrives on our doorstep. Right now cucumbers are plentiful. Johnson’s gives a generous amount of small pickling cucumbers which are perfect for making a quick batch of bread and butter pickles.

Bread & Butter Pickles

The simple summer staple got its name during The Great Depression. Cucumbers grow like weeds and are inexpensive produce making them readily available during tough times. People made bread and butter sandwiches and added preserved pickles to dress up the meager meal.

For this recipe, use smaller pickling cucumbers straight from the garden, Farmer’s Market, or your CSA. I bet your local grocery store has them stocked in the summer months too. I like to use a medium sweet onion sliced super thin.

For this recipe you don’t need any special canning equipment. Just your favorite jars! I’m partial to Weck and le Parfait (shown in photo) jars. If I want to be extra fancy or am making bread and butter pickles for a gift, I take the time to pull out my mandolin. The crinkle cut gives the pickles an added touch and I love the extra thin onion slices.

Bread & Butter pickles are a sweet summer treat to take to a neighbor. I would be friends for life with anyone who showed up on my doorstep with a jar. Better yet? Invite friends to your Turquoise Table for a summer lunch of pimento cheese sandwiches, bread & butter pickles and basil lemonade.

Bread & Butter Pickles

Print Recipe

Transform cucumbers into a sweet and tangy summer treat. No canning required. Refrigerator pickles are tasty and so simple to make you’ll keep them on hand all summer.

• Author: Kristin Schell, The Turquoise Table

Ingredients

1– 1.5 lbs pickling cucumbers, sliced 1/4″ thick

1 tbs salt

1 small onion, sliced thin

1 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

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Instructions

With a mandolin or sharp knife, slice cucumbers 1/4-inch thick. Combine sliced cucumbers and salt in a medium sized bowl. Cover and chill for 1 -2 hours. Drain cucumbers and rinse with cold water. Drain well and return to bowl. Add sliced onions and toss gently.

In a medium saucepan combine vinegars, sugars, mustard seeds, peppercorns, celery seeds, and turmeric. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Pour hot vinegar mixture over the cucumbers, let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. With a slotted spoon transfer the pickles and onions to glass container(s). Pour the pickling liquid evenly over the pickles until jar(s) are full. Store in refrigerator up to 1 month.

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The post Bread & Butter Pickles appeared first on The Turquoise Table.

Today we’re going to talk about infertility and adoption. Chances are you or someone you know has walked one or both of these paths. In this week’s episode of The Turquoise Table Podcast, Kristin talks to Cat Vandament who shares her story of infertility and treatments that led to the birth of her daughter, and then the decision to pursue adoption with their son.

Show Notes

Cat’s story is unique in that during fertility treatments, they faced the additional stress and unfortunate timing of her husband’s numerous military deployments. 

Infertility and adoption can be sensitive and hard topics for many. Which is why it’s important to have the conversation and gratefully Cat is willing to help us talk about the emotional journey. No two stories are alike, but as you listen to the conversation you’ll hear hope and encouragement. 

Cat speaks with honesty and vulnerability. She shares the struggle of not knowing why her body “wasn’t working the way every other woman’s body works” and how she overcame untrue thoughts like “trying to figure out what I had done wrong.” 

Cat’s story is told through the lens of infertility and adoption. But, it’s also a story of faith and helps us see how we all wrestle with our own worth at times. 

Listen in to learn what NOT to say to a friend or neighbor who is trying to get pregnant. And, stay tuned as Cat reveals the number one way you can love your neighbor through infertility and adoption.

Links

Connect with Cat Vandament:

• Watch Cat’s Turquoise Table Story
• Shop Noonday with Cat
• Instagram

The post S2E17: Loving Your Neighbor Through Infertility and Adoption appeared first on The Turquoise Table.