Homemade Gherkins (aka Pickles)
Oh YUM – these are so good! So good in fact that the owner of our local health food store eats all of them before she gets a chance to sell them to her customers 🙂
Equipment
- 2 Glass Mason Jars very clean, 1 litre glass jars
Ingredients
- 700 g Mini Cucumbers
- 625 ml Water
- 60 ml Whey
- 250 ml Apple Cider Vinegar raw, unfiltered
- 1 tsp Black Peppercorns
- 1 tsp Red Peppercorns
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 2 stems Fresh Dill with leaves
- 2 leaves Bay Leaves dry or fresh
- 2 cloves Garlic Cloves
Instructions
- Soak the cucumbers in a salt-, vinegar- or hydrogen peroxide water solution for 20 minutes then scrub and rinse under running water (this will remove pesticide residue).
- In a large glass jug or bowl, mix the water, salt, apple cider vinegar and whey.
- Place half of each of the peppercorns, mustard seeds, dill, bay leaves and garlic cloves in the bottom of each jar.
- Place the cucumbers in the jars vertically, squashing in as many as possible. It is important for them to remain submerged in the brine, so squashing them in will prevent them from floating to the top.
- Give the brine another quick stir then pour over the cucumbers – sharing between each jar.
- Seal the jars tightly and place them in a kitchen cupboard for 2 days.
- After 2 days in warm weather, or 4 days in cooler weather, open a jar and test a pickle – if they are crunchy they are ready to be enjoyed. If they are mushy – something went wrong and they should be discarded.