What a bounty of cucumbers our vegetable garden is producing this summer! I’ve used them in Andalusian gazpacho, in cucumber gazpacho and in a myriad salads; I have shared them with friends and neighbors and I’ve even cooked them following my friend Preeti’s Indian recipe (so tasty!). Even then, the daily harvest make it hard to keep up with them, and I decided to pickle some, so we can enjoy them as soon as in a few weeks and during the winter months. Today I’m sharing how to pickle cucumbers.

Pickling is a food preserving method that, unlike preserving tomatoes (check here) does not require placing the jarred cucumbers in a water bath. The reason is, the vinegar used in pickling has enough acidity (5% acetic acid content) that it kills the spores of botulism that could otherwise develop (botulism is a food poisoning that can in the worst cases lead to death). The important thing here is to keep the acidity of the pickling brine at 5%, that is, to use pure vinegar. 

Some methods of pickling add water to the vinegar, hence reducing its acidity. In this case you should place the jars of pickled cucumbers in a hot water bath, to ensure their safety.

How to pickle cucumbers

The following recipe yielded 5 jars.   

Ingredients:

3 Lb cucumbers

5 cups white distilled vinegar (5% acidity)

2 Tbs kosher salt

3 Tbs sugar

2 Tbs peppercorns

2 Tbs coriander seeds 

8 bay leaves

8 cloves garlic

 

Optional:

Fresh dill, mustard seeds, horseradish

 

Utensils:

• Large stock pot
• Jars and lids (I used a variety of sizes)

 

                   Prepare the jars and lids: 

1. Fill with water a large and deep enough pot to hold the jars 
2. Immerse the jars and bring to a boil (fill them up with some of the water so they sumerge). Boil the jars for 10 minutes. Carefully remove from the pot and let dry
3. Now immerse the lids in the water and boil for 5 minutes. Remove carefully and let dry

                   Prepare the cucumbers:

1. Wash the cucumbers and slice them any way you like. Large cucumbers are easy to handle if you slice them in 1/4 inch rounds. Smaller cucumbers can be sliced lengthwise
2. To increase their crunchiness, place them in a colander over a bowl, and cover them with ice cubes.

                    Prepare the brine:

In a saucepan, bring the vinegar to a boil. Add the salt and sugar and stir to dissolve. Remove from the stove and set aside to cool

Process:

1. Distribute the peppercorns and coriander seeds between the jars depending on their size 
2. Fill the jars with the sliced cucumbers and 2 cloves of garlic and 1 or 2 bay leaves in each jar
3. Pour the vinegar solution into the jars, filling to the top to cover the cucmber slices completely
4. Wipe the rims of the jars and screw the lids until tight
5. Seal the jars and store them in a cool place above freezing temperature. There’s no need to process the jars, because the acidity of the vinegar kills any botulism spores. These cucumbers will not ferment and will be perfect for the wintertime.

 

NOTES:

• Let the jars sit for 3 to 6 weeks before you start consuming them. If you start pickling in August and September, when cucumbers are at their peak, you can start consuming them in November. 
• The pickled cucumbers can be consumed up to 1 to 2 years later if they are properly stored in a cool environment.
• Unlike with preserving tomatoes, no water bath is needed. Vinegar destroys botulism, and since we’re using pure vinegar, botulism spores are killed. Just make sure the vinegar you use is at least 5% acetic acid. Other recipes dilute the vinegar with water, and therefore the jars need to be processed in a water bath. If you use 5% acidity vinegar and don’t dilute it, a water bath is not needed. The vinegar you find in American stores is 5% acidity. If you dilute it with water, you must process the jars because you lower the acidity of the vinegar, and bacteria will develop. Therefore, you need to process them.