Recently, I got a hold of the sweetest little mini cucumbers you ever did see. They're a special European variety, grown organically here in the States. I don't usually make a big deal out of food being cute, but COME ON. See how small and cute they are?



In my mind, tiny little cukes like this are just begging to be pickled. Who am I to argue? I also had a few radishes lying around in the fridge, so I decided to pickle those too. (That's right -- I said "a few radishes," not a few bunches of radishes. Don't ask.) I grabbed a couple of jars and made up a double batch of my special quick cucumber pickling liquid.

Both cukes and radishes received a quick bath and a light scrub to clear off any garden dirt that might have been lingering. Some of the cucumbers had started to go soft at the ends and others were a little too long for the not-so-tall quart jar I planned to use, so I gave them a little trim job and sliced them in half lengthwise. You could leave them whole if you wanted, but I like to see that white pickled flesh in the center! I also put a thin slice on the radishes before stuffing them into their own 8oz jar.

When my pickling liquid was ready, I poured it ever so slooooowly into both jars until the veggies were just covered. Pickle trick: Before slapping the lid on the jars, I always take a chopstick and "stir" it around the jar a little to make sure there are no air bubbles trapped inside the liquid. When it comes to quick pickles, air is not your friend!



Lidded and refrigerated, the radishes and cucumbers will be pickled in about 24 hours and should be eaten within a week. They rarely last that long in our house!