You know what I miss in my gluten free, Paleo lifestyle?

CRUNCHY STUFF!

That’s right.  Every week I get to hear who craves what when I attend the farmer’s markets.  Chocolate?  Yep, I’ve got a solution for that.  Sweets?  Yes!  I’ve got cookies and cake and bliss bites, cake and donuts!  Ranch dressing and taco seasoning?  Yes!  Click here to browse and shop any and all!

Crunchy is a tough one to overcome.  Even though crunchy things are often what I seek, they seem to be the most elusive to find.  Sure, I crunch on celery and carrots, and occasionally indulge in plantain chips, but finding something sweet, crunchy, AND yummy on a consistent basis is, well, challenging!

Enter the chic chubster cuc from the garden (isn’t it just SO cute?)

This year’s garden wound up being focused on several categories of cucumbers, a couple of varieties of basil, gorgeous green beans and a few mystery “volunteer plants” from the compost (tomatoes, pumpkin, melons, and some still yet to be determined!)  

Well, I’ve got cucumbers.  When I say I’ve got cucumbers, I mean a LOT of CUCUMBERS!  Every size, shape, and type.  Some I’ve planted from the seed library (see this post) and some came from…well, I’m not sure where.  Since I normally eat a lot of them, that’s just fine with me!  They are a staple in my normal GGF diet (gluten, grain, and soy free; click here to read why).  

However, I was surprised with the stubby “chubster” cucs that made an appearance a few weeks ago.  I vaguely remembered planting various types, and one of them indeed may have been pickling cucumbers, but nowhere did I see “cute chubster variety” on any of the seed packages.

Suddenly I had loads of them growing!  Intrigued, I wondered if I could make some crunchy pickles with them (hellloooooo, they are PICKLING cucumbers!) 

I generally avoid commercial pickles, because of the added ingredients (examples straight from a commercial label:  natural flavors, artificial color, vinegar [ it’s never clear which vinegar they use – I recommend only organic apple cider vinegar]).

Boy, was I surprised!  Not only were they easy to make, but the recipe fit all of the GGF criteria (simple to make, uses available ingredients, no gluten, grain, soy, or dairy, and they were DELICIOUS!)  

BONUS:  They were CRUNCHY!!!! 

Would you believe you can enjoy these in just TWO hours?  AND, you don’t even have to have stubby cute cucs.  Any size and type will do just fine!

Here’s the gluten free and Paleo recipe, adapted from McCormick’s Summertime Sweet Pickles!

Gluten Free & Paleo Sweet Pickles

• 2 cups thinly sliced OR wedged cucumbers (I tried it both ways and we liked the slices better)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced sweet or yellow onion
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar (I recommend Bragg’s)
• 1/2 cup organic cane sugar (for Paleo: use 1/3 – 1/2  cup raw honey)
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Steps:

1. Combine cucumber slices or wedges and onions in a bowl; set aside.
2. Stir together vinegar, sugar/honey, spices and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
3. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar/honey and salt .
4. Reduce heat and simmer for about five minutes.
5. Pour the hot liquid over the cucumber/onion mix; cool slightly and cover.
6. Refrigerate for at least two hours prior to serving.  

TIP:  For longer preservation, store in airtight containers in the refrigerator, or use water bath canning procedures to keep bunches in stock on your pantry shelf.

I hope you enjoy this crunchy treat as much as I do! I tried them on my hamburger as pictured to the right.  

FYI:   I don’t recommend eating the entire bowl in one sitting…you won’t have enough to enjoy later! 😉

~GGF Gourmet