Lady Ashburnham Pickles

A true New Brunswick favourite — and one of my personal favourites when it comes to mustard pickles.

Lady Ashburnham Pickles are sweet, tangy, mustardy, and packed with chopped cucumber and onion. They’re the kind of pickle that seems to belong on the table beside a good homemade meal, especially when you’re looking for a little taste of home.

Ingredients

• 6 medium–large cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 4 cups onions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup salt
• 2 1/2 cups white vinegar
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp dry mustard
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 1 tsp mustard seed
• 1 tsp celery seed
• 4 pint jars
• 4 snap lids and rings

Instructions

1. Prepare the cucumbers and onions.
   Peel and seed the cucumbers, then chop them into small pieces. Finely chop the onions.
2. Salt the vegetables.
   Place the chopped cucumbers and onions in a large bowl and sprinkle with the 1/4 cup of salt. Mix well and let stand for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Drain well.
   Drain the cucumber and onion mixture thoroughly. Rinse lightly if desired, then drain again, pressing out as much excess liquid as possible.
4. Make the pickle mixture.
   In a large pot, combine the vinegar, sugar, flour, dry mustard, turmeric, mustard seed, and celery seed. Whisk well to remove any lumps from the flour.
5. Add the vegetables.
   Stir the drained cucumber and onion mixture into the vinegar mixture.
6. Cook.
   Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Continue cooking until the mixture is heated through and the sauce has thickened.
7. Fill the jars.
   Ladle the hot pickles into clean, hot pint jars, leaving appropriate headspace. Wipe the jar rims clean.
8. Seal.
   Place the snap lids on the jars and screw on the rings until fingertip-tight.
9. Process.
   Process the filled jars in a boiling-water canner according to current tested canning guidelines for mustard pickles. Remove the jars and allow them to cool undisturbed.
10. Check the seals.
    Once completely cool, check that each lid has sealed properly. Label and store in a cool, dark place.

A Little New Brunswick Favourite

There are plenty of pickle recipes out there, but these are my personal favourite mustard pickles. That combination of sweet, tangy vinegar, mustard, turmeric, cucumber, and onion is hard to beat.

They’re especially good alongside a traditional meal, on a sandwich, or simply spooned onto the plate when you need that little hit of something sweet and tangy.