Farmers Market Fresh: Easy Homemade Pickles (Recipe)

Pickles are really prime during the spring and summer, when they make their debut at most cook-outs.

Pickles add the sweet or salty crunch to burgers and hot dogs, and they're also a great snack in hot afternoons. And while pickles are readily available at grocery stores, there's nothing quite like ones that are homemade.

Traditional pickling can take a lot of time, space and patience. Mason jars, boiling, packing, storing, etc. are involved in the pickling process. But there are 24-hour pickle recipes out there to help cucumber cravings.

The trick to making the perfect pickle is all in the cucumber you use. Pickling cucumbers are preferred, as they're smaller than the common cucumber.

The La Jolla Open Aire Market, which meets on Sundays at La Jolla Elementary School, has cucumbers right now. Stock up and try out this bread and butter 24-hour pickle recipe from Recipe Girl.

Remember, because this isn't the traditional method, the pickles won't last as long as they normally would; they'll probably keep fresh for a month. But the homemade ones are so good, I'm betting they won't last a week in your fridge.

Happy pickling!

Ingredients:

• 5 1/2 cups (1 1/2 pounds) sliced pickling cucumbers (crinkle cut them if you have a mandoline!)
  1 1/2 Tablespoons kosher salt
  1 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
  1 cup granulated white sugar
  1 cup white vinegar
  1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  1/4 cup light brown sugar (packed)
  1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds
  1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
  1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric

Directions:

1. Combine cucumbers and salt in a large, shallow bowl; cover and chill 1 1/2 hours. Move cucumbers into a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Drain well, and return cucumbers to bowl. Add onion to the bowl.

2. Combine sugar and remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour hot vinegar mixture over cucumber mixture; let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.