This is a brine only recipe for pickling gherkins and it will ferment so don’t keep it in closed jars.
See also: Pickling vegetables
This is based on 1kg of gherkins.
Pickling brine:
- 2l water
- 70g sea salt
Boil the water and dissolve the salt. Allow it to cool.
Seasoning:
- 8 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 bunch of fresh dill
- 4 cloves
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 4 tablespoons black peppercorns
- 3 oak, blackberry or cherry, leafs
- 2 bay leafs
- De-seeded red chilli or fresh horseradish (optional)
Wash the gherkins and top and tail them.
Put the dill in the bottom of the jar and pack one layer of the gherkins in vertically.
Cover the first layer of gherkins with brine.
Add the seasoning on top of the gherkins and then pack the rest of the gherkins in.
Fill to the top with brine and weigh the gherkins down with a saucer. Cover with a cloth and store them so the air can circulate underneath the jar. It’s normal for white foam to appear on the top of the liquid.
They are ready to eat after two days.
