Easy Sweet & Spicy Pickled Cucumbers

Toss your sliced cucumbers and onions in a large bowl, then fill each jar with the mixture, gently pushing down the veggies to allow room for more.

In a pot, combine the vinegar, sugar, celery flakes, red pepper flakes and salt and bring to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat and add the 3 cups of ice. Stir until the ice is melted. Pour mixture into your jars, until you are just shy of the top. Place the lids on and allow jars to cool to room temperature. Place jars in the refrigerator until you are ready to enjoy or share them.

Colleen’s notes:
– In the photo I packed the jars much looser (with cucumbers and onions) than I typically do, since I was giving them away to friends/family. Typically, you want the veggies more tightly packed, I just didn’t want them going to waste based on who I was giving them to. The more veggies in the jar the less liquid you will use—so you might get 5 quart jars out of it.
– To help gently hold down the veggies when filling the jars with liquid, often I use the opposite end of a muddler.
– Feel free to try different variations as well—add some thinly sliced red bell peppers or try adding some blanched cauliflower, broccoli and/or carrots. You can add a couple cloves of garlic and/or some black peppercorn seeds as well for a different flavor. You can also increase or decrease the amount of sugar. These keep well for a week in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!