- Joined
- May 27, 2012
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- 5,192
- Location
- Bellmere, QLD
- Website
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- Climate
- Sub-Tropical
Here's another pickled cucumber mix idea to preserve them for use later. When cucumbers are in season they grow rapidly but don't last very long on the plant or in the crisper so pickling them is a great way to keep the freshness and even enhance the taste.
Whole pickled cucumbers are best done when the fruit is no bigger than 10cm so when they get bigger or there are several still left on the vine I slice them (or dice - but sliced is easier for sandwiches) and preserve.
Most standard cucumbers taste fine when the fruit is larger; however, be aware some varieties of cucumbers (particularly the ones meant to be picked whole small) become bitter as they get big so when using this sliced method ensure you have a taste raw before going through the trouble of slicing and pickling and if they are too bitter than either harvest for the seed or give them to the chickens.
We have some lemons in season also at the moment so I have decided to use lemon juice as the base for the pickling solution plus our coriander has just started self-seeding again now that the temps are coming down so I added it to the mix instead of traditional herbs like dill or fennel.
Here's the ingredients:
This is another cold pickled way of preserving cucumbers so no heating is required.
Pack 2 x 1 ltr jars full of sliced cucumbers.
Push 2 bay leaves into each jar.
Throw all ingredients into a container and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar.
Pour the pickling mix over the cucumbers until full to the brim then secure the lids.
Store in the fridge for at least a week before eating and they should last several weeks (probably months) to be used in salads, on sandwiches, or even whizzed up with cream cheese to make a cucumber dip!
After a day or so they will discolour and the solution will get cloudy as some lacto fermentation will slowly happen but this is nothing to worry about.
Whole pickled cucumbers are best done when the fruit is no bigger than 10cm so when they get bigger or there are several still left on the vine I slice them (or dice - but sliced is easier for sandwiches) and preserve.
Most standard cucumbers taste fine when the fruit is larger; however, be aware some varieties of cucumbers (particularly the ones meant to be picked whole small) become bitter as they get big so when using this sliced method ensure you have a taste raw before going through the trouble of slicing and pickling and if they are too bitter than either harvest for the seed or give them to the chickens.
We have some lemons in season also at the moment so I have decided to use lemon juice as the base for the pickling solution plus our coriander has just started self-seeding again now that the temps are coming down so I added it to the mix instead of traditional herbs like dill or fennel.
Here's the ingredients:
- 3 medium sized cucumbers sliced
- Juice of 2 x small lemons (about a cup)
- 1 x cup of water
- 2 x cups of plain vinegar
- 1 x tablespoon of salt
- 1 x tablespoon of sugar
- Handful of chopped fresh coriander
- Bay leaves (about 4)
This is another cold pickled way of preserving cucumbers so no heating is required.
Pack 2 x 1 ltr jars full of sliced cucumbers.
Push 2 bay leaves into each jar.
Throw all ingredients into a container and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar.
Pour the pickling mix over the cucumbers until full to the brim then secure the lids.
Store in the fridge for at least a week before eating and they should last several weeks (probably months) to be used in salads, on sandwiches, or even whizzed up with cream cheese to make a cucumber dip!
After a day or so they will discolour and the solution will get cloudy as some lacto fermentation will slowly happen but this is nothing to worry about.
