Three-Day Pickles (HCE)

• 2 pounds Kirby cucumbers
• 6 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 cups white or white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup pickling spice

Toss halved or quartered cucumbers with 2 tablespoons salt and let them sit in a colander for 2 hours.

Bring remaining ingredients to a boil along with 2 cups water.  Let steep for 5 minutes.

Of course I make my own pickling spice.

Pickling Spice

• 2 3-inch cinnamon sticks
• 10 bay leaves
• 2 small dried hot red chiles (like Thai) or 1 tablespoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1/4 cup mustard seeds
• 2 tablespoons allspice berries
• 2 teaspoons cloves
• 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons cardamom seeds
• 2 tablespoons dill seeds

Pat cucumbers dry with paper towels and put in a nonmetal bowl.

Pour over bring and let cool to room temperature.

Transfer to airtight jars or containers and refrigerate.  The pickles are ready in three days and are then good for another three weeks. (I just realized I wrote down the expiration date wrong and just corrected them)

At various points in time, I used to make pickles every weekend or every other but have down so in a couple of years.  Ideally, I love adding habanero peppers and fresh dill during the brine cooling process, but as it tends to happen, I blanked while at the shopping market.  Added some habaneros the next day to the top of the jar, but that's certainly not a perfect situation.  The pickles are still pretty good and certainly not my best effort.

Hopefully I get back into the habit without forgetting ingredients in the near future since they are a good snack that aren't full of fat or sugar.