Half Sour Pickles
Many years ago in Ontario we could purchase unbelievable half sour dill pickles made by Strubs. Then the Strubs company was bought and half sour pickles disappeared from supermarkets as the new owners of Strubs discontinued them!
If you were lucky, you could still find half sour pickles at some delicatessens, but they weren't available in jars to take home.
Thanks to the Internet, and to my surprise, you can make your own half sour pickles, as good as Strubs ever made, in your own home in a matter of 4 days.
Needless to say, the quality of the cucumbers you use is very important. If they start out soft and mushy you will end up with soft and mushy half sour pickles. Pick firm cucumbers that are not bruised or damaged. You can cut the cucumbers into wedges, however cut cucumbers will never be as crunchy as whole cucumbers.
The following recipe is for a litre which will hold 5 to 6 cucumbers depending on the diameter of the cucumbers. You can double the recipe and use a 1/2 gal (US) jar which will hold 12 to 14 cucumbers.
1 Litre Jar
Ingredients
- 5 to 6 small organic cucumbers
- 700 ml cold water
- 4 1/2 tsp pickling salt
- 1/4 tsp pickle crisp
- 1/4 tsp whole coriander seeds
- 1/4 tsp whole mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, thinly sliced
- fresh dill
- 1/4 tsp whole coriander seeds
- 1/4 tsp whole mustard seeds
- 1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns
Directions
- Wash the cucumbers.
- Dissolve the salt and pickle crisp in the water.
- Crush the 1/4 tsp coriander seeds, 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp black peppercorns and the 2 bay leaves.
- Put the cucumbers in the jar.
- Put the thinly sliced garlic in the jar along with the crushed spices and the dill. Pour the salt, pickle crisp water mixture into the jar, about 1/2 inch from the top. Discard any water that doesn't go in the jar.
- Add the 1/4 tsp whole coriander seeds, the 1/4 tsp whole mustard seeds and the 1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns.
- Place the lid tightly on the jar.
- Shake the jar and place in the refrigerator for 4 days.
Happy crunching and munching!!