The more I cook, the more I discover how simple it can all be.
Although I’ve always hated wasting food, I’ve only recently got much more into the idea of preserving. Very simply, because it goes hand-in-hand with natural, holistic living. Because as you start to make your own and grow your own, you become more mindful about waste; who wants to see all their hard efforts go to waste? Our grandparents wouldn’t let anything go to waste. Anything perishable that was coming to the end of its freshness would be preserved, in the form of pickles or jams or fermentation. Why don’t we do this anymore? Why are we so wasteful? Because we can be? It shouldn’t be a reason.
And it wasn’t only if they saw a cucumber was going to go off; many people would use their harvest time in the spring and summer to preserve foods ready for winter, so that there would be enough to eat. This happened during wars and otherwise. Clever people still do this.
I’m far from clever. I’ve pretty much made kombucha and one jar of pickled cucumbers – but it’s a start!
And my god were these moreish!
I actually decided to make these because I had a heap of dill left over (perhaps one of my favourite herbs) and thought it would go nicely with some beautiful ridge cucumbers I got from Daylesford.
The point of this post is that as much as making your own pickles seems like a ‘crunchy mum’ thing to do, it really could not be easier. I urge you all to give it a go – you only need a handful of ingredients and 5 minutes!
Don’t forget to sterilise your jar first to stop bacteria.
Ingredients
4 ridge cucumbers or 2 normal cucumbers
5-7 garlic cloves, whole
Handful of dill, chopped but not too small
Just under half white vinegar (as in half of your jar size)
Just over half purified water (preferably boiled and cooled)
2 tbsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp Himalayan pink salt
1 tsp granulated sugar
Method
Cut the cucumbers in the shape you want them (lengthways, slices, doesn’t matter!) then add them to a sterilised glass jar with the garlic cloves and put the rest of the ingredients in.
Make sure your jar is shut tight and leave for 48 hours before opening.
Once open, keep refrigerated.
Love & health,
Lauren
