Pickled gherkins
If you’ve been growing your own gherkins, you might find yourself with more than you can eat fresh. Luckily, they’re perfect for pickling!
This simple recipe creates crunchy, tangy gherkins that are delicious alongside a sandwich, burger, cheeseboard or straight from the jar.
You’ll need
For the gherkins:
- 500g small fresh gherkins
- 2 tsp salt
For the pickling vinegar:
- 500ml white vinegar
- 150ml water
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- A few sprigs of fresh dill
- 1–2 bay leaves
- Optional: a pinch of chilli flakes for a little extra heat
Method
Prepare your gherkins – Wash the gherkins thoroughly and trim off the ends. If they’re particularly small, leave them whole. Larger ones can be sliced into spears or rounds.
Salt them – Place the gherkins in a bowl, sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt and leave for around 1 hour. This helps draw out excess water and keeps them lovely and crunchy. Rinse well and pat dry.
Make your pickling liquid – Add the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, garlic, peppercorns, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and bay leaves to a saucepan.
Warm gently until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow the liquid to cool slightly.
Fill your jars – Pack the gherkins into a clean, suitable glass jar, adding the fresh dill as you go. Pour over the pickling liquid, making sure the gherkins are completely covered.
Pickle! – Seal the jar and leave it to cool before placing it in the fridge.
They’ll start to develop flavour after a couple of days, but for the best results, leave them for at least a week before eating.
This is a refrigerator pickle, rather than a shelf-stable preserve, so keep your gherkins refrigerated and use them within around 1–2 weeks.
A little Plant Market tip
Growing your own gherkins can give you a surprisingly generous harvest – so pickling is a brilliant way to make sure that none of your home-grown crop goes to waste.
