pickling gherkins

[queen of the cobs]

Hi, not sure if this is the right part of the forum, but was wondering if anyone had any gherkin pickling tips / recipes?

thanks.

[Flummery]

Hi - recipe from a book called 'Jams, churneys, preserves, vinegars and oils' by Marguerite Patten which I use for preserves and jellies etc. V useful fiver's worth at a remainder shop!
Wipe the gherkins, leave them whole if small, or cut into even sized pieces. If you like your pickles firm, put them on a flat dish and cover generously with salt (draws out the moisture) and leave overnight then rinse in plenty of cold water. For softer pickles put in wet brine - 2 oz salt to each pint water and make enough to cover the gherkins. Again, leave overnight, rinse, drain well.
Pack into cold sterilised jars. Pour cold spiced vinegar over to fill up and then seal the jars. You can add a bayleaf or 2 to each jar if you like.

Spiced vinegar - either buy it ready spiced or make you own as follows -
Depending on how spicy you like it - use from one teaspoon to one tablespoon of pickling spices per pint of vinegar. Boil steadily for up to 15 minutes.
You can add a few spices to the jar too, but if you do they will continue to spice the gherkins so don't do it if you don't want it too spicy.

You can use malt or white vinegar. I reckon if you're going to pickle things they might as well taste jolly well pickled so I use malt!

[NOG]

Just been up the Somme....sorry alotment and found that we have a load of Gherking. Thanks for the tips

[bazzaboy]

Reviving this one (from 2007, 4 years and counting) because if it works it's unbelievably brilliant (thank you Flum) compared to some of the other exercises with gherkins I've recently come across... I planted a Bimbostar cucumber (outdoors, on allotment) and discovered today half a dozen identical warty 4" cucumbers (evidently in the purist world of gherkin fanciers they are not "gherkins" when they are raw, only when they are pickled...!) Oh, I thought, I'll pickle 'em - and in a simple minded way Googled "pickling gherkins". An hour later I was still confused by processes, brine vinegars, enzymes, scum removal, fermentation processes that take many weeks (and some ghastly photos of pallid wrinkly gherkins that you wouldn't really want in your house let alone on your plate). Was about to give up, uh-oh, they could go to the wormery or the compost heap..... And then in dances Flummery c/o the highly esteemed Marguerite Patten with this recipe which is simplicity itself and even the solution is cold - unbelievably simple, does it work? Has anybody tried it? I'm about to and hope to be back..... bb.

[binley100]

Another method is to use Di's pickled courgette recipe off here ......works just as well with gherkins ...

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...tes_21316.html

[binley100]

Another method is to use Di's pickled courgette recipe off here ......works just as well with gherkins ...

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...tes_21316.html

[binley100]

oops looks like i'm an echo .........

[bazzaboy]

Thanks Binley (and Thanks Binley), I used that recipe last week to reduce the usual glut of courgettes and it's delicious, much to my taste as with the added sugar it becomes a sweet and sour. That recipe requires the produce to be thinly sliced (mandolined even), is that what you'd recommend with the cukes, or will they still work whole, d'you think? It's also recommended to be kept in the fridge, I assume because with the sugar it could start to ferment? I guess there's time enough for another crop of Bimbostars so might try it then as otherwise run out of ideas for all this produce.... (One other use that I find quite useful, though I've never seen it mentioned in the gardening or recipe books, is to throw at the neighbour's cat when it threatens to use my veg patches as a convenient loo.... ). Many thanks.... bb.

[binley100]

I slice my gherkins (not with a scarey mandolin tho') as we like them in sandwiches....and the sugar is heated in with the vinegar so I'd be surprised if it fermented ....

[bazzaboy]

They are scary aren't they... you def need to stay focussed! But very efficient. I wouldn't want to be using one and have Gordon swearing at me to hurry up (not that that's ever likely to happen ). So do you do thick sllces longways?
Incidentally on the unusual COLD pickling in Flum's recipe, I recall reading somewhere (on this site even I think) that any and certainly prolonged boiling of pickling solutions, rather than lessening long-term contamination would increase its likelihood as the all-important acid content had a lower boiling point than water.... But without heat trad Kilner jars don't seal properly do they - or do you just use jam jars and screw tops?

[binley100]

I just slice them the same as courgettes . I use sterilised jam jars and screw tops ....there's nothing unusual about Flums cold pickling , pickles have been done that way for years, onions, beetroot etc..You don't have to boil the vinegar at a rolling boil like jam , you need to simmer it so that the spices infuse. Anyway surely you would be concentrating the acid as the water would come off as vapour..(not being a scientist someone will probably come along and put me straight)