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Pickled Cucumbers

Well, the seasons have officially changed! The sun is coming up later each day, and although it isn’t cold yet, there is a chill in the air in the morning and evening. In the garden, the vegetables are ripening quickly and although not all our crops were a success, we have more than enough fruit and vegetables to be dealing with.

We’ve made about 40 jars of tomato passata, ready to be used in sauces and curries until next summer, and lots of plum jam. In the dehydrator, we’ve had apples and plums drying ready to be snacked upon by hungry children.  Still to be done is some jars of pickled garlic, and possibly a little more jam.

On Sunday I tackled the pickled cucumbers. They are a favourite around these parts, and there was not a single jar left in the pantry – a dire situation indeed. Our cucumber crop was pretty dismal this year, and I wasn’t sure that we were going to be able to make any pickles at all. I was contemplating buying some cucumbers to alleviate our pickle shortage, but on Saturday, CB bought in a couple of kilograms of cucumbers in from the garden and I knew what my weekend job would be. So on Sunday afternoon, with the help of our small chap, we made pickled cucumbers. A perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

The closest thing I can liken these to is the pickles at Mcdonalds, except these ones are a million times more delicious. They are crisp on the edges and sweet, salty, and sour all at once. I often have them on crackers with cheese, or on a sambo with leftover roast meat – delicious.


Pickled Cucumbers
 
Print
Prep time
30 mins
Cook time
10 mins
Total time
40 mins
 
Author: Jo @ Country Life Experiment
Ingredients
  • 2kg continental cucumber
  • ¼ c salt
  • 500ml white wine vinegar
  • 500ml water
  • 1½c sugar
  • ¼ t cayenne pepper
  • 2t yellow mustard seeds
  • 2T peppercorns
  • 1 cup dill fronds
Method
  1. Thinly slice the cucumbers - I use a mandoline slicer to get them super thin.
  2. In a saucepan combine the salt, vinegar, water, sugar, cayenne pepper, and mustard seeds. Bring to the boil and stir to allow the sugar and salt to dissolve.
  3. Pack the cucumber into sterilised jars. Layer pinches of dill fronds and peppercorns throughout the cucumber. Make sure you pack the cucumber in quite firmly.
  4. Pour the hot vinegar mixture slowly into the jar, allowing the mixture to seep in between the layers. Tap the jars to help any air bubble escape.
  5. Place the lid on the jar while the mixture is still hot, and allow to cool. Sealing the mixture while hot is very important to preserve the pickles.
  6. Sit the pickles on a shelf for at least a week before opening to allow the flavours to infuse.
3.5.3229

This quantity made us eight smallish jars – not enough for an entire year, but a good start. Fingers crossed we get a few more cucumbers off the plant before the frosts hit, so I can make enough pickles to last us until next year.

If you want some hints on how to effectively clean and sterilise jars, check out this post of mine. There are lots of other preserving recipes found hereP as well.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lauraine Jean Dick says

    November 13, 2020 at 9:00 pm

    can you use normally white vinegar instead of white wine as i cant use anything with wine in it

    Reply
  2. Elizabeth says

    June 11, 2020 at 4:40 pm

    Hello a does t mean teaspoon or tablespoon? And does capital T mean the same?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Jacibee says

      September 4, 2020 at 8:19 pm

      How much is 1c

      Reply
      • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

        September 12, 2020 at 3:51 pm

        I cup is 250ml

        Reply
  3. Robert Booth says

    February 28, 2020 at 2:21 pm

    Hi Jo, love the pickled cucumber recipe. However, I’m finding that they are starting to effervesce after about 6 weeks in the pantry! Still taste and smell fine but I’m concerned. Have you any thoughts? Maybe yeast growth?

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      April 14, 2020 at 11:19 am

      Hi Robert – not sure why that is happening??? My guess is that there was some air trapped in the jar, or the hot fill was not hot enough?

      Reply
      • bobdebmol says

        April 29, 2020 at 1:45 pm

        Thanks for the reply Jo. Hot fill might have been not quite hot enough, I did have to make a bit extra at the last minute. Still taste fine, just have to watch when opening them. How long have you kept your before consuming?

        Reply
        • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

          June 6, 2020 at 12:59 pm

          I leave them a week or so… they go fairly quickly once they opened around here!

          Reply
  4. Jim McKenna says

    March 12, 2018 at 8:28 pm

    Hi Jo, would this work for grins. All the best,Jim.

    Reply
    • Jim McKenna says

      March 12, 2018 at 8:30 pm

      I should read gurkins. Sorry Jo. Auto spelling.

      Reply
      • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

        March 12, 2018 at 8:33 pm

        yes – gherkins are really just small whole pickled cucumbers.

        Reply
  5. Elisha says

    March 12, 2018 at 8:59 am

    A nice easy recipe here! Do these keep for a while I the pantry or fridge? Unfort we didn’t get lots of cucumbers like last year but I’ll file this one away.

    Reply
    • Jo@CountryLifeExperiment says

      March 12, 2018 at 9:56 am

      They last on the shelf for years. Once open refrigerator

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Jo

I'm a city girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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We have been mulling over how to fix up the drivew We have been mulling over how to fix up the driveway and lead up to our house for a while. Currently it’s just a dumping ground for old bits of metal and a big pile of mulch, but C would like to create a turning area and put in a garden. First up though, there’s a huge old stump that needs to go. What better excuse is there to have a fire on Sunday afternoon? C and the kids jumped on the quad bike and trailer, and hauled back a big pile of sticks and logs to help the stump burn. Once the fire was going, marshmallows were found and roasted. No better way to spend time together.
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It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got through shearing without a hitch (thankfully 🙏) but we’ve had a run of the flu followed by Covid run through the family since then. The kids and I have tested positive (this is my second time getting it 🦠) though so far C has managed to avoid it. There has been a lot of lying on the couch feeling pretty ordinary. Han had to reschedule her driving test for a 4th time due to Covid, which is disappointing for her because she wants her freedom and for us because it would be so much more convenient if she could drive herself places. Just to add in to the mix, our hot water system has chosen now as a good time to die so we’re on cold showers until we’re all out of iso. This is not meant to be a whinging post but sometimes life just sucks a bit and it’s good to be real. Fortunately, the sight of the fire going with a stack of wood next to it cheers us up. Things will improve soon. Onwards we go…

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Hi, I’m Jo

City girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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