A sweet subtle pickle perfect for all occasions; with sandwiches, cheese, ham or simply on their own straight from the jar!
Pickles are a great way to preserve a glut of cucumbers.
Ingredients
1kg of fresh Lebanese cucumbers, preferably picked straight from the vine!
2 tbsp sea salt
1 cup good white vinegar, don’t use home brands as they are not true vinegars
1 cup organic apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
100g white sugar
1 small white onion, finely sliced into rings
3 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp mixed whole peppercorns
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
4 medium glass jars (500g jam jars work well for this recipe), washed well
Wash and dry the cucumbers before slicing them thinly, about 2mm.
Place the cucumber slices in a large bowl and sprinkle with all of the salt. Leave for 1-2 hours, occasionally stirring gently, to draw out excess moisture.
When you have around 20 minutes left on the cucumbers, place the jars and lids on a tray and place in a cold oven. Turn the temperature to 120°C and leave in the oven for at least 30 minutes once the oven reaches temperature.
Gently pour the cucumbers into a large colander to drain, do not rinse and do not squeeze the cucumbers. Then place the drained cucumbers into a clean bowl and add the onion rings and mustard seeds. Very gently mix together.
In a medium saucepan, combine the vinegars, sugar, turmeric and water and place over low heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar, then increase the heat and bring to the boil. Simmer for at least 5 to 8 minutes.
Remove the jars from the oven and turn the oven down to 100°C.
While the jars are still warm carefully spoon the cucumber mixture in. Add a few peppercorns to each jar as it is being filled. Don’t pack the cucumbers, and don’t overfill the jars, as the pickling liquid needs to be able to cover every slice.
Carefully pour the hot pickling mixture into each jar until the cucumbers are completely covered, then tap the jars gently to remove any air bubbles.
Place the lids on the jars and close tightly. Place the jars of pickles back on the tray and carefully place back into the oven. Pour 1 to 2 cm of water into the tray. Close the door of the oven and leave for at least 20 minutes. Turn off the oven, open the door slightly to let the hot air out and leave the jars to cool in the oven. (Doing this second sterilisation will give the pickles a longer shelf life)
As the jars are cooling press lightly on the lids to pop the seals down. Sometimes the jars will be almost completely cooled before the lids will pop down, but just keep trying every time you walk past them until they’re all down. If a lid does not pop down, that jar will need to be stored in the fridge and used within 6 to 8 weeks. Your other pickles will last up to a year in the cupboard, keep in the fridge once opened.
The pickles will need to be left for a least one day for the flavours to develop.