Pete's Food Blog

2. Sep, 2021

Dill pickles, pickles, gherkins

Ingredients:

2 kg pickling cucumbers

12 black currant leaves

12 peeled garlic cloves

1.5 l water

500 g sugar

2 tbl sea salt

1 tbl white pepper corns

1 tbl mustard seeds

2 thumb sized pieces of peeled ginger cut into 8 pieces

4 pieces of mace

1 large bunch of dill - preferably with flowering heads

12 strips peeled off a horseradish root.

5 dl 10% pickling vinegar. (If you can't source 10% vinegar, use double the quantity of ordinary vinegar, but you will have some pickling liquid left over).

Method:

Wash the cucumbers and leave them to soak in cold water overnight.

Sterilize 3 1-litre Mason/Kilner jars and 1 ½-litre jar ( 140⁰C for 30 mins.).

Cut the cucumbers into 4-5mm thick slices.

Layer the slices into the jars, occasionally adding some dill, garlic, ginger, mace

(one piece per jar), horseradish and black currant leaf. Try to divide the amounts out equally between the jars.

Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, mustard seeds and pepper corns to a boil, stirring to disolve the sugar. Let it stand and cool to room temperature.

Ladle the pickling juice and spices over the cucumbers, filling the jars to the brim.

Seal and store in the fridge.

Ready in 10 days, will keep a year.