Bread & Butter Maple Pickles

Ingredients:

• 4 cups pickling cucumbers, cut into spears or chunks

• 4 tablespoons pickling salt

• crushed ice

• 1 cup cider vinegar

• ¾ cup Mount Cabot Maple organic Maple Syrup

• 3 teaspoons pickling spice, divided

• 3 teaspoons coriander seeds, divided

If it’s not mid-August right now, pretend it is. Gardens all over the north country are spilling over with the season’s bounty. And if you’re like me, the cucumbers you lusted after in the February seed catalogs are now overrunning your fridge. Here’s an easy and awesome way to put them up so you have something to munch on this winter.

1. Fill a large canning pot enough to cover upright pint jars with an inch of water. Bring the water to a boil and let the jars and lids sterilize for 5 minutes.

2. Combine the vinegar and syrup in a saucepan and bring to a boil while you prepare the jars.

3. Place 1 teaspoon of pickling spice and 1 teaspoon of coriander in each jar.

4. Pack the cucumbers into each jar and pour in the vinegar mixture, filling to leave ½ inch of headspace.

5. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims and affix lids.

6. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

7. Remove jars from the water bath and let sit undisturbed for a cool dry place for at least 12 hours. And then wait until it snows.