This is the easiest pickling recipe there is. It requires neither vinegar, nor sterilizing. When my grandma shared this recipe with me, I was a little skeptic about it, but I tried it, and I loved it. Grandma’s pickles have always tasted so good, and appears that the recipe requires so little. I tested this recipe last year to see what would be the shelf life, so I kept one jar from the time I pickled in late August, and the pickles were still crispy and perfect in April!
Few words about canning… The secret to successful canning is starting with fresh firm vegetables. I use Sea salt for all my pickling, but a pickling salt can be used as well. The very common problem with pickling could be a discoloration of the lid. This could be caused by certain compounds found in foods. The food is still good. The discolorations is harmless. If your vegetables get cloudy, the vegetables may be spoiled; check for a bad smell and throw out. This could be caused by using a table iodized salt, hard water, or vegetables were too old.
This recipe is good for one half-gallon jar. Double or triple this recipe if you’re planning to pickle more than one jar. On the pictures you’ll see ingredients for 2 jars, as I doubled my recipe.
Ingredients:
Wash your jar in hot, soapy water. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, turn it off, and place the jar in the oven to dry for about 10 minutes. When the jar is dry and hot, start putting in your cucumbers.
On the bottom of the jar place dill, garlic cloves, blackcurrant leaves, and horseradish leaf. Then pack cucumbers tightly in a jar.
Boil 4 cups of filtered water, add 1 tablespoon sea salt, and pour over cucumbers. Place the lid on the jar, but do not seal yet. Let cool at room temperature, and refrigerate for 2 days. After that, pour the brine back into a pot, and bring to boiling. Add 1 more tablespoon sea salt, and pour it back in the jar over cucumbers. Once again, do not seal, let cool at room temperature, and refrigerate. In 2 days, repeat the process,- boil, add 1 tablespoon salt, cool at room temperature, but this time seal the jar. Store in a cool dark place. The flavor of your pickles will improve when stored for several weeks.
Serve pickles with roasted potatoes, buckwheat kasha or rice pilaf. I also use my pickles in potato salad, and famous “Olivye”.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pickling cucumbers
- 5-7 garlic cloves
- fresh dill
- 4 cups filtered water
- 3 tablespoons sea salt
- 2 blackcurrant leaves (optional)
- horseradish leaf (optional, not pictured)
- 1/2 gallon jar (double the recipe if planning to pickle more than 1 jar)
Instructions
- Wash your jar in hot, soapy water.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, turn it off, and place the jar in the oven to dry for about 10 minutes. When the jar is dry and hot, start putting in your cucumbers.
- On the bottom of the jar place dill, garlic cloves, blackcurrant leaves, and horseradish leaf. Then pack cucumbers tightly in a jar.
- Boil 4 cups of filtered water, add 1 tablespoon sea salt, and pour over cucumbers.
- Place the lid on the jar, but do not seal yet. Let cool at room temperature, and refrigerate for 2 days.
- After that, pour the brine back into a pot, and bring to boiling. Add 1 more tablespoon sea salt, and pour it back in the jar over cucumbers.
- Once again, do not seal, let cool at room temperature, and refrigerate.
- In 2 days, repeat the process,- boil, add 1 tablespoon salt, cool at room temperature, but this time seal the jar.
- Store in a cool dark place.
- The flavor of your pickles will improve when stored for several weeks.
- Serve pickles with roasted potatoes, buckwheat kasha or rice pilaf. I also use my pickles in potato salad, and famous "Olivye".
Oh yummm! I am a pickle fanatic, but have never made them before. I always hear how easy it is, I’m definitely going to save this recipe! XOX 🙂
Welcome Amanda! I hope you like this recipe and many more. These are much better than store-bought pickles! Worth a try. 😉
I’ll be giving them a try for sure!! 🙂
This is a very simple and interesting, Vera! Do those leaves give the pickle some sour taste in lieu of vinegar?
No, the leaves just add an extra crunch to pickles. They do not affect the taste at all.
Vera, should i have enough brine just to cover the pickles before sealing them, or may need to add some boiling water to pour a little over the edges of the jar? thank you.
Paula, as long as there’s enough brine to cover the pickles, it should be fine. If you see that there’s not enough, then boiling hot filtered water should be added.
Did you have enough brine or it is just me?
I guess it depends on how well the jar is packed. I usually pack it pretty tightly. Anyhow, if you boil some extra water to fill it in, it will still turn out just fine as long as you follow the whole boiling process and add a total of 3 tablespoons salt when using half gallon jar. Hope this helps.