Try carrots, asparagus, or green beans for mouth-watering variations.

Cucumber-Fennel Pickles

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups 1-inch sliced mini cucumbers
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tsp whole fennel or caraway seeds

Method:

Toss sliced cucumbers with 1 tbsp coarse salt in a colander. Set aside.

Whisk vinegar and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high until sugar dissolves.

Add garlic and fennel.

Rinse cucumbers well under cold running water. Pat dry and pack into 2 500-mL mason jars. Pour in vinegar mixture.

Fasten lids. Refrigerate at least 12 hours before serving. They keep for about 10 days in the fridge, developing more and more flavour as time passes.

Serves 4.

Variations:

Moroccan Carrots
Boil peeled thin carrots in salted water for 3 min. Drain and plunge into ice water until cold. Pat dry and pack into jars. Pour in vinegar mixture, using whole cumin seeds instead of fennel, and replacing half of the sugar with honey.

Spicy Asparagus
Boil trimmed asparagus in salted water for 1 min. Drain and plunge into ice water until cold. Pat dry and pack into jars, trimming to fit. Pour in vinegar mixture, using chili flakes instead of fennel.

Dilled Green Beans
Boil 500g trimmed green beans in salted water for 4 min. Drain and plunge into ice water until cold. Pat dry and pack into jars. Pour in vinegar mixture, using fresh sprigs of dill instead of fennel.

Courtesy of Claire Tansey.
http://www.chatelaine.com/