Denise says:

  • Preparation Time: 10 minutes
  • Cooking Time: 2 minutes plus overnight refrigeration– 2 days pickling
  • Makes: 1 kg pickles
  • Notes on Pickling
  • Jars must be sterilised before use.
  • Salt –use pickling salt, rock salt, sea salt – not the powdered fine granules.
  • Use very fresh firm cucumbers.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large cucumbers– about 500g each
  • ~
  • 100ml white vinegar
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
  • 2 tablespoons sea salt
  • 1-2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tablespoons spices – eg peppercorns, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, dill seed
  • 300ml water

Method

  1. Prepare the jars: Sterilize the jars and their lids by pouring over boiling water or wash in the dishwasher.
  2. Prepare the cucumbers: Wash and dry the cucumbers. Leave the pickles whole, cut them into spears, or slice them into coins, as preferred.
  3. Add the spices to the jars: Divide the, bay leaves, garlic and dill seed between the jars: 2 smashed cloves and1 teaspoon dill seed per jar.
  4. Pack the pickles into the jars: Trim the ends if they stand more than 1 cm below the top of the jar. Pack them in as tightly as you can without smashing the cucumbers.
  5. Combine the vinegar, water, and salt and pour the brine over the pickles, filling each jar to within 1 cm of the top. You might not use all the brine.
  6. Remove air bubbles: Gently tap the jars against the counter a few times to remove all the air bubbles. Top off with more pickling brine if necessary.
  7. Storing pickles: Pickles will keep for at least a year on the shelf and for 2 weeks in the fridge once opened.
Tagged in: bay leaves, Coriander Seeds, Cucumbers, Garlic, Jewish, mustard seeds, Peppercorns, sea salt, snack, white vinegar