Ingredients
- 2-4 Pickling Cucumbers (depending on size)
- 1/2 cup vinegar (see notes - brine flavoring options)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/2 to 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1-2 green jalapenos, quartered length wise, seeds retained
- 2-3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and sliced
- 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
- 3-5 sprigs fresh dill weed
- Some mason jars
Directions
1. Prepare the brine by combining the vinegar, water and salt in a small pan and heat, stirring until the salt has dissolved completely. Pour into a dish and cool before use (this can be done in the fridge, optionally add a few ice cubes to help it on its way, but if so, add a little more vinegar to balance).
2. Slice the cucumbers, jalapenos and garlic cloves. Feel free to slice the cucumbers whichever way you want to consume them - spears, length-wise slices or medallions for pickle chips.
3. Stuff the cucumbers, jalapenos, garlic, mustard seeds and dill into mason jars, until reasonably full.
4. Pour in the cooled brine and seal the jars.
5. Refrigerate for at least 48 hours before eating. The cucumbers will keep taking up brine over a few days, so won't reach peak sourness for 3 to 5 days.
Fridge pickles will keep for up to 3 months if refrigerated. I sometimes reuse the brine for my next batch, and top up with a little vinegar and salt.
Notes
This is just a template recipe. Pretty much every aspect can be switched out, with the only important detail being that the brine pH and salinity need to be pretty much as laid out by the ratios in the recipe.
You can alter the flavor of the brine in a number of different ways:
* Add 1/4 tsp of sugar to make medium sweet pickles, more to make sweet pickles (like bread and butter pickles)
* You can use various types or blends of vinegar to give the brine a different flavor profile. Apple Cider vinegar is a good choice to add some flavor, but my favorite is to use a 2/3 - 1/3 blend of seasoned rice vinegar and distilled white vinegar.
Obviously you can omit the jalapenos for regular, non-spicy pickles. Equally you can use other peppers to spice up the heat more intensely. I generally find that green peppers work best for pickling. Always retain the seeds - they bring a lot of the heat.