New England Maple Pickles

Total Time: 6 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 6 hrs Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups cucumbers, cut into 3/4-inch chunks blossom ends removed
• 1/2 small onion, sliced
• 2 teaspoons pickling salt, more as needed
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (the darkest, most strongly flavored preferred but any will do)
• water
• 1 teaspoon mixed pickling spices (either store-bought or homemade blend)
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed
• ball pickle crisp (optional)

Recipe

• 1 combine the cucumbers, onion, and salt in a large bowl; mix well.
• 2 cover the vegetables with ice water and let stand for at least 2 hours, and up to 6 hours.
• 3 drain very well.
• 4 taste a piece of cucumber. if it isn’t decidedly salty, toss with 1 to 2 teaspoons pickling salt. if it is too salty, rinse with clear water.
• 5 combine the cider vinegar and maple syrup in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the maple syrup.
• 6 bring a kettle of water to a boil.
• 7 pack the mixed pickling spices and coriander seeds into a clean, hot 1-pint canning jar.
• 8 pack in the cucumbers and onions.
• 9 pour in the hot vinegar mixture (it will not cover the vegetables, so top off with the boiling water, leaving 1/2 inch headspace).
• 10 add a rounded 1/8 teaspoon of pickle crisp to the jar, if using.
• 11 remove any air bubbles with a non-metallic utensil; wipe rim of jar, place lid and screw band on fingertip-tight.
• 12 process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes (place warm jars in warm water; cover by at least an inch of water and begin timing when water reaches the boil to avoid jar breakage).
• 13 remove to a protected countertop to cool, undisturbed until completely cool.