Recipes

Cucumber Pickles

  • Serves

    makes 2 Quarts

By SAVEUR Editors


Published on March 8, 2002

Pickling is called Russia's national pastime and here is a delicious example of their labor of love.

Ingredients

  • 12 cup coarse kosher salt
  • 16-20 small kirby cucumbers, tips trimmed, well washed
  • 1 tbsp. sugar
  • 2 cups cider vinegar
  • 12 black peppercorns
  • 8 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 bunch dill with seed heads
  • 1-2 horseradish, oak, or grape leaves (optional)

Instructions

Step 1

Dissolve 1⁄4 cup salt in 2 1⁄2 quarts water in a large bowl. Add cucumbers and set aside for 12 hours. Drain and rinse.

Step 2

Combine 1⁄4 cup salt, sugar, vinegar, and 2 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add peppercorns, garlic, and bay leaf and boil for 2 minutes. Fit cucumbers upright in 2 hot, sterilized quart jars. Tuck in dill. Pour hot vinegar mixture over cucumbers to cover. Add leaves, if using. Put lids on jars, screw on bands, and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove jars from pot and cool. Store in a cool, dark place for at least 3 weeks and up to 1 year.

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