Cucumber Pickle in Vinegar

Have you tasted cucumbers plucked fresh off the vine? They are nothing like the ones you get at the grocery store. Crunchy and with a burst of flavor there is no comparison. The thing with growing anything during summer is that you get more than what you can do with it. And produce grown without pesticides have that sweetness and genuine glorious taste of nature. This is something I would call an "All Natural" snack. I grew Persian cucumbers called Beit Alpha Mid eastern cucumbers which were sweet but not with as much moisture as the normal cucumbers and with smaller seeds.

That leads to the 'All Natural' label we see on a lot of foods today. If you are one of those people who is looking for this label and assume that there is some higher quality to that label. You are mistaken. There is no enforcement of the ingredients by the FDA and the label does not mean a thing. It's just another label invented by the food companies to mislead consumers into thinking they are purchasing something better than what it is.

Where food is concerned it is better to use common sense than be taken in by anything said on the labels. I used to buy cucumber pickles and jalapeno in vinegar all the time. I had assumed that these are simple things that would not have any added chemicals but boy was I wrong. I have bought these numerous without every reading the labels till one day I happened to glance at them and was pretty surprised to see yellow 5 color in both of them. I started looking for ones that don't have any food coloring. The sad thing is none of the American brands were free of the food coloring. There are few brands that do not have the food coloring which are usually found in the Latin food aisle.

So why bother with the labels and the hassles, these pickles are absolutely easy to make. They are great in sandwiches, in salads and also as a snack. The addition of jalapenos just gives it an added zing.

For half hour worth of work you have some delicious pickles ready. Here is the recipe in pictures.

Slice the cucumbers and jalapenos and keep them ready. Take the vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a pot and bring it to a boil.
Add the jalapeno slices into the vinegar and let it boil for 2-3 minutes and turn off heat. Now take the sliced cucumbers in another pan. and pour the vinegar on to the cucumber slices.
Once the vinegar has reached room temperature pour the vinegar on to the cucumber slices.

Cucumber Pickle in Vinegar
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients

1. 2 Perisan Cucumbers (or English Cucumbers could be used) - about 3-4 cups of sliced cucumbers
2. 1/4 cup of deseeded and sliced Jalapeno peppers
3. 2 cups of white vinegar
4. 1 1/2 cups of water
5. 1/4 cup of sugar*
6. 2-3 tsp of salt*
7. Note:* the amount can be more or less depending on taste

Method
1. Take the vinegar, water and sugar in a saucepan. Heat till the solution comes to a boil.
2. Add in the jalapeno pieces and let it cook for about 2-3 minutes. It should still retain the crunchy texture.
3. Keep the sliced cucumbers in another vessel and when the vinegar has come to room temperature pour the vinegar on to it.
4. Let cool and transfer to glass jars.
Stays in the refrigerator for 4-5 months.

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