Name: How to make pickles
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 10100 min
Ingredients: 2 medium size cucumbers ((cut lenghtwise or in slices)); sea salt ((to rub on cucumber) (optional, only if you are opting to drain liquid from cucumbers overnight)); BASE BRINE:; 1 lt water ((=34 oz.)); 1 lt plain white vinegar ((=34 oz.)(or sub white wine or apple cider vinegar)); 100 gr sugar ((=3.55 ounces or ½ cup)); 10 gr sea salt ((=1¾ tsp)); 2 bay leaves; 10 pepper corns ((crushed or coarsely ground)); ADD-INS (1); 1 jalapeño (cut lengtwise); 5 gr coriander seeds ((= more or less ⅛ cup)); 5 gr mustard seeds ((= more or less ⅛ cup)); 3 cm fresh ginger ((=1 inch)(sliced)); 1 tsp ground curcuma; ADD-INS (2); 5 gr dill seeds ((= more or less ⅛ cup)); 5 gr fennel seeds ((= more or less ⅛ cup)); ½ tsp curcuma

Pickles, yummy. Great to snack on or to put on your hamburger. I am sharing with you my easy pickling method, passed on by my dad. Thanks papa! Not hard, nothing fancy. Nothing beats homemade pickles. Let’s get picklin’.

pickling ingredients — Base ingredients; cucumbers and brine ingredients

Eventhough this is very straight forward and not hard at all, there are..

a few things to keep in mind when you start pickling:

sterilize jars

Assuming you won’t eat the pickles you make all at once, you want to be able to keep them for a longer period of time. Then it is important to use clean jars. I usually use saved jam jars. The best thing to do is sterilize them by adding them to a large soup pot filled with boiling water for 5-10 minutes including the lids. Be careful not to break the glass. This sounds weird, but placing a towel on the bottom of the soup pot (so in the water) will help with that (it avoids directly contact between the jar and the pot).

drain moisture from cucumbers

Drain moisture from the cucumber for best pickling result. Adding salt to the sliced cucumber and leaving it overnight will extract a lot of liquid from the cucumber. Just place a strainer on top of a bowl, add the cucumber and salt to the strainer and place in the refrigerator overnight. Dry cucumbers before pickling.

ratios

The ratios between water, vinegar, sugar and salt for the standard brine is always: 1 – 1 – 0,1 – 0,01.

You fill the jars like this..

If slicing cucumbers in long strips (lenghtwise), measure and cut the cucumbers enough so they are not sticking out of the jar (the liquid should cover them completely). Add seeds, peppers etc. (if any, I have added 2 different pickling options in the recipe below) to the jar before jam packing the jars with cucumber slices. Now, add the hot brine to the jar making sure all the cucumbers are covered. Close the lid, put upside down for 1 minute (to get air bubbles out and mix everything well). Open the lid to see if there is still enough liquid covering the cucumbers. If not, add more brine. Now close the lid and let it cool off. Then refrigerate.

spices for pickling — Seeds, one of the main add-ins; brown mustard – coriander – fennel – dille seeds

These pickles (use cucumbers or other vegetables, same method) are so good. We all love them here in this household. I am sure you will too. They are:

crunchy – delightfully sour – salty with a touch of sweetness -easy to make – & delicious

Pickles are great on sandwiches, just to snack on or to put on your hamburger or your salad. For more helpful how tos click here.

How to make pickles

Pickling or preserving cucumbers or other vegetables in a vinegar brine. Basic method plus add-ins.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Resting time before eating your first pickle 7

Total Time 7 20

Course How-to, Kitchen staple

Servings 3 jars

Calories 219 kcal

Equipment

32oz. jar x3
large soup pot

Ingredients

2 medium size cucumbers (cut lenghtwise or in slices)
sea salt (to rub on cucumber) (optional, only if you are opting to drain liquid from cucumbers overnight)
BASE BRINE:
1 lt water (=34 oz.)
1 lt plain white vinegar (=34 oz.)(or sub white wine or apple cider vinegar)
100 gr sugar (=3.55 ounces or ½ cup)
10 gr sea salt (=1¾ tsp)
2 bay leaves
10 pepper corns (crushed or coarsely ground)
ADD-INS (1)
1 jalapeño cut lengtwise
5 gr coriander seeds (= more or less ⅛ cup)
5 gr mustard seeds (= more or less ⅛ cup)
3 cm fresh ginger (=1 inch)(sliced)
1 tsp ground curcuma
ADD-INS (2)
5 gr dill seeds (= more or less ⅛ cup)
5 gr fennel seeds (= more or less ⅛ cup)
½ tsp curcuma

Instructions

Rub cucumber with salt and put in a strainer. Place strainer on top a bowl to catch the liquid and refrigerate overnight. This will make the cucumbers be able to absorb the brine liquid better. You can skip this step though.
To sterilize your jars, fill a large soup pot ¾ with water. Bring it to boil. Place a towel on the bottom of the pot. Add the empty jars and lids to the boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Drain the jars and let them air dry.
Make the brine by boiling water, vinegar, sugar, salt, black pepper corns and bay leaves.
In the meantime, toast the seeds (if you opt to go for add-ins (either option 1 or 2). Skip this step if you are going for the basic method.
Add the add-ins if any, to the jar. Add the cucumber sticks or slices. Pack them well. Now add the hot brine to it. Close the jar with the lid and shake well (I even put them upside down for a minute), open the jar to see if you the cucumbers are still covered with brine. If not add more until totally covered.
Let the jars cool off completely before refrigerating them. I usually wait at least a week before I start using the pickles. You can keep them in the refrigerator for 6-8 weeks.

Notes

Nutritional information:

the information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Keyword pickling, preserving

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