Pickled Cucumbers

For the first time ever, this summer I managed to prepare some fermented cucumbers, flavoured with dill and garlic. These are very easy to make, simply fill a big jar with dill, garlic and then the cucumbers, then fill with salted water and put a piece of bread that is packed in a cheescloth on top. Now you only have to leave the jar on a sunny place for a few days and soon you can enjoy the cucumbers. It took me years to prepare these, because it is almost impossible to find the right cucumbers. So my success on the fermented cucumbers made me want to prepare some pickled ones for the winter. By the this was also the first time. I am not so experienced with preserves yet, but I am certainly going forward on the way. Luckily, a farmer grows just the right sized cucumbers, so I bought only a smaller amount to make my first pickled cucumbers. By the way, I am a big fan of pickled gherkins, but it is quite a task to find the right ones, I am very picky. Therefore, I can hardly wait to try my own!

Ingredients: 

2 kg gherkins

500 ml vinegar (5%)

600 ml water

150 g sugar

2 onions

some cloves of garlic

2 bunches of dill

mustard seeds

coriander seeds

black peppercorns

allspice

bay leaf

After cleaning the cucumbers under running water, put them in salty water and let it stand over night. Put some dill, chopped onion, garlic and spices into the jar. Drain, wash and dry cucumbers and put them tightly into the jar. Bring water with sugar and vinegar to the boil and pour it hot over the cucumbers. Close the jars and cook them for 10 minutes in 90°C hot water. The pickles are already edible in 2-3 weeks, but its real taste unfold only in 3-4 months.