It should come as no surprise that chemo isn’t sitting well with me. I’ve heard of people who hold down full-time jobs during chemo. Who go to the gym during chemo. Who have sex during chemo. Possibly. To all of you out there, I salute you. You are made of stronger stuff than I. Chemo is my kryptonite, and my superpowers are suspect as it is.
Many of the side effects of chemo remind me of the first trimester of pregnancy, although the killing of cells rather than the nurturing of them gives the process an altogether different patina. There’s the nausea, of course. The fatigue. Heartburn that feels like a chemical spill from your diaphragm right up to your chin. The aversions to certain tastes and smells. And weird cravings for things like pickles.
Luckily, though, it’s cucumber season and we’re getting them in our CSA by the bushel. If you, too, are going through chemo, are pregnant, or just happen to love pickles, do I have the recipe for you. Bread and butter pickles: an oldie but goodie. Quick and easy refrigerator pickles that are perfect for burgers, sandwiches, or snacking. And unlike some of the other pickles I’ve made this year (I’m looking at you, butternut squash), these will not languish in the fridge for months on end, tying up a perfectly good jar. No, these will be eaten in a flash.
Bread and Butter Pickles
These can theoretically hold in the fridge for at least a month, but please don’t insult the pickles like that. Dig right in and pretty soon you’ll be putting them on everything.
3 lbs. pickling cucumbers
2 medium onions, peeled
3 Tbsp. kosher or sea salt
3 cups cider vinegar
2½ cups brown sugar
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard seed
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. turmeric
¼ tsp. allspice (optional)
Trim thin slices off both ends of the cucumbers. Cut cucumbers and onions into ¼-inch thick rounds. Toss them with salt in a non-reactive bowl, cover, and refrigerate 1-2 hours. Drain well, rinse, drain again, and set aside.
In a nonreactive pot, combine vinegar, brown sugar, and spices, and bring to boil over high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to low, simmer for 3 minutes, and then pour hot liquid directly over cucumbers and onions. Let cool to room temperature, then jar and refrigerate. Makes 8 cups.
Source: Adapted from Quick Pickles by Chris Schlesinger, John Willoughby, and Dan George.
What a coincidence, I just posted about a cucumber/beet salad. Cucumbers are definitely in abundance across many gardens right now.
I've always wanted to try and make pickles. Perhaps this is the season I will get ambitious.
I will say this, Tammy - chemo may be effecting your energy and appetite, but damn, it sure isn't hurting your writing.
Posted by: Amy | August 12, 2009 at 10:55 PM
Wish I could send you cases of pickles of every type! Or anything else that would help.
Posted by: Kalyn | August 12, 2009 at 11:35 PM
I have to try these as I am in love with Chris Schlesinger! I almost cried when he stopped making Inner Beauty hot sauce to be sold in stores. Lucky for me they had a interview with him at Serious Eats and he gave the recipe out!
My thoughts are with you Tammy. You keep plugging along and make me smile, laugh or spew coffee every time I read your blog you are an inspiration!
Posted by: giovanna | August 13, 2009 at 06:46 AM
Sorry you are feeling so grim ~ keep pickling! I have always been intrigued as to why these are called Bread & Butter pickles; I've read about them in American novels and for years I thought they actually contained B&B ... clearly not! Take care, feel better. Sarah
Posted by: Sarah | August 13, 2009 at 07:41 AM
I absolutely LOVE pickles. My mother said I used to eat them so much when I was little that my lips used to turn white.
Posted by: Helen | August 13, 2009 at 08:09 AM
That is my most favourite pickle recipe. I adore that book!
I have a friend who said eating 1 Gala Apple a day kept her heartburn at bay. Medically there is some enzyme in the apple that helps.
Posted by: jo | August 13, 2009 at 08:19 AM
My dad craved sweet things during his chemo, which was good because it helped him keep some weight on. Now that he has had his transplant, he still has a sweet tooth. The other day he was allowed to have pizza and said that the sauce tasted too tart.
Good luck and keep going!
Posted by: Jocelyn | August 13, 2009 at 09:42 AM
Pickles heal EVERYTHING.
Posted by: MidLifeMama | August 13, 2009 at 09:46 AM
Ugh. I'm sorry to hear you're having a rough time with chemo.
Are bread and butter pickles really that easy to make? This one's going on my to-do list.
Posted by: adele | August 13, 2009 at 10:10 AM
I have to say, I've never been a fan of sweet pickles. I made summer pickles a few years ago from a recipe that only called for 2tbsp of sugar, but 1/2 cup of salt. Those were lovely (and didn't last anywhere near a month -- I think they were gone in a week!)
And I agree with MidLifeMama -- Pickles DO heal everything!
Posted by: NurseJen | August 13, 2009 at 10:28 AM
Pickles are the only cure for gigglenitis. Ask NurseJen. May you come down with an awful case of it.
Posted by: Jess | August 13, 2009 at 01:52 PM
Just had a pile of these on a homemade cheeseburger. Yum!!
Posted by: Husband | August 13, 2009 at 10:02 PM
They look delicious! I just canned 6 pints of b&b pickles, intending to store them away for winter, but they looked so good I had to bust open a jar.
Posted by: Mary | August 14, 2009 at 02:35 PM
As a new visitor to your site, I cannot believe that you have the energy during chemo to make pickles (or anything) much less write about them. As a writer and food lover myself, however, I can understand how these simple tasks help keep life normal under very abnormal circumstances. I suppose there is a certain, I don't know, blessing? good fortune? to be found in the fact that something appeals to your palate during treatment. And, for what it's worth, I always found that watermelon did the trick to combat heartburn when I was pregnant (if these two states of being can be compared at all). Since it is watermelon season I thought I would just throw it out there!
Looking forward to visiting more often with you here.
Best,
Casey
Editor
www.tastestopping.wordpress.com
Posted by: TasteStopping | August 15, 2009 at 07:05 AM
hi there my first time here and please accept my salutations....you are a woman of strength believe it or not. May God be with you.
Love the pickles and the 'turmeric'and 'mustard' give it an Indian touch and have healing properties as stated in the Ayurveda.
Thanks for sahring these :)
Posted by: Navita | August 15, 2009 at 09:40 AM
Navita: Thanks for visiting and taking the time to comment.
Casey: I'm low on energy, that's for sure, but I'm grateful for a healthy appetite. And watermelon has been very appealing to me lately, yes. Thanks for your comment.
Mary: I need to learn how to can properly. Right now, I only make as much as I know I'll eat in the short-term.
Husband: Me, too.
Jess: Consider me afflicted!
NurseJen: Ah, but I'm fermenting half-sours as we speak. Those sound more up your alley.
adele: Yes, super-easy. You can't afford not to make them.
MidLifeMama: Here's hoping!
Jocelyn: Glad your dad's getting through it. My sweet tooth has been subdued quite a bit by chemo, but my appetite for other things is good despite the nausea.
jo: Good to know. I like apples! (I love that book, too.)
Helen: Now that's a lot of pickles! I'm still trying to get my kids to love them.
Sarah: I have yet to find a convincing answer to the origin of the name through Google, but I am curious myself.
giovanna: Chris Schlesinger is inspired. I've never tried that hot sauce, but then I am a wuss.
Kalyn: Thank you. I'm halfway done with the hard part.
Amy: You just reminded me about some beets I think I forgot about in the crisper. I'll go check out your recipe.
Posted by: Tammy | August 17, 2009 at 10:41 PM
Just made these. AWESOME.
Posted by: Alyson | August 09, 2012 at 12:31 PM
Ok, so what if I want to can them? Just toss them into jars and put in a water bath?
Posted by: Alyson | August 21, 2012 at 10:53 AM
Alyson: So glad you liked them! Yes, you can process jars of just-made pickles for 10 minutes in boiling water. For more specific canning info go here:
http://nchfp.uga.edu/
Posted by: Tammy | August 21, 2012 at 09:36 PM