If you have a garden at home, you will certainly have planted cucumbers – at least once. Right?! Cucumbers are really uncomplicated plants that don’t require a lot of attention. We have often grown them in large flower pots and been successful every time. So much success that we have even been able to make Homemade Pickled Gherkins several times already. What could be better than being able to use your own vegetables for something like that ;)
Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of space here on our terrace for growing fruits and veggies. Nevertheless, we built a raised bed a few years ago and also have a few larger flower pots here for growing fruits and veggies. Actually, we grow almost exclusively vegetables here… plus a small raspberry bush. There wouldn’t be enough room for an apple tree or something similar next to our lilac bush ;)
Well… we are happy with what we have. Being able to grow some veggies and herbs is great. What’s even better, is being able to preserve those veggies and herbs so you can enjoy them for a long time. There’s nothing worse than taking care of those plants for months and then suddenly all of them are ready to harvest, and you have to use everything immediately. We often have that problem with lettuce – that one can’t be preserved, you have to eat it when it is ready ;) This means several days in a row of salad until you are sick of it. Just kidding (actually not) ;P
Anyway. There are worse things that could happen. I still prefer veggies like potatoes, pumpkins, etc. that all can be stored for quite some time. Or little cucumbers/gherkins you can pickle and then enjoy months after harvesting. So good! ;)
We really do love pickled gherkins here. They are great as a snack between meals (in case you want something savory – much better than a bag of chips). You can use them for burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, etc. Those little fellas are very versatile. Have you ever tried deep-fried dill pickles? So good!
Even though homemade pickled gherkins require some work – compared to just adding a glass of already pickled gherkins to your shopping cart in the supermarket – they are definitely worth the extra effort. First of all, you can preserve home-grown veggies (if you got some) and you can flavor your pickled veggies any way you want. Instead of the (most common) dill, you can also use juniper, cumin, garlic, or even honey for flavoring your gherkins. I think that’s a great option.
If you want to preserve home-grown veggies and herbs (or when you bought a bit too much at the farmer’s market), you might also want to check these recipes here: for bell pepper fans, I got a nice recipe for Homemade Pickled Grilled Bell Peppers. If you have some arugula at home that needs to be used, you can try my Easy-peasy Arugula Pesto. So good!
Some additional tips for the gherkins:
+ If prepared properly and stored correctly, those gherkins can be stored for up to a year.
+ Once opened, you should store the gherkins in the fridge and eat them within a few weeks (up to two months).
+ Do not fish cucumbers out of the jar with your fingers if you want them to stay fresh and crunchy. The contact with your skin can contaminate the gherkins with bacteria and yeast which both can affect the texture of the gherkins.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(2 jars)
about 18 oz. (500g) cucumbers (gherkins) for pickling
1 small red onion
about 1 cup (250ml) white wine vinegar
about 1 cup (250ml) water
1 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. peppercorns
some chili flakes
2-3 tbsp. dill, chopped
(2 Gläser)
etwa 500g Einlegegurken
1 kleine rote Zwiebel
ca. 250ml Weißweinessig
ca. 250ml Wasser
1 EL Salz
1 TL Senfkörner
1/2 TL Pfefferkörner
einige Chiliflocken
2-3 EL Dill, gehackt
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Sterilize the canning jars* (with screw cap) – boiling them in water is probably the easiest way to do that here.
2. Roughly clean the cucumbers and let them soak in water for about 1 hour, then scrub them again properly and dry them. Cut them into slices or wedges, as desired. Peel the onion and cut it into rings. Wash, dry, and coarsely chop the dill.
3. Add the cucumbers, onion, and dill to the sterilized glass jars. The less air you got between the cucumbers, the better. Fill the jars about halfway with white wine vinegar, then add water until the jars are full to the brim. Pour the liquid from the jars into a small pot. This works best if you put a strainer over the jar when pouring out the liquid to keep everything else in the jar.
4. Add salt, mustard seeds, peppercorns, and a few chili flakes to the pot. Bring everything to a boil, then divide the liquid (and everything else) between the two glass jars, seal them with the lids, and let them cool upside down on a kitchen towel.
5. Let the pickled cucumbers steep in a cool and dark place for at least 3-4 weeks before eating. If you work cleanly, the gherkins will last about 1 year unopened. Once opened, store in the fridge and use within 1-2 months.
1. Die Einmachgläser* (mit Schraubverschluss) desinfizieren – kurz in kochendes Wasser legen, ist hier wohl am einfachsten.
2. Die Gurken grob säubern und für etwa 1 Stunde in Wasser einlegen, dann noch einmal ordentlich abschrubben und dann abtrocknen. Nach Belieben in Scheiben oder Spalten schneiden. Die Zwiebel schälen und in Ringe schneiden. Den Dill waschen, trocknen und grob hacken.
3. Gurken, Zwiebel und Dill in die ausgekochten Gläser einfüllen – je weniger Luft zwischen den Gurken ist, umso besser. Die Gläser etwa zur Hälfte mit Weißweinessig auffüllen, dann Wasser dazugeben, bis die Gläser randvoll sind. Die Flüssigkeit aus den Gläsern in einen kleinen Topf schütten – funktioniert am besten, wenn man ein Sieb über das Glas stülpt, damit alles andere im Glas bleibt.
4. Salz, Senfkörner, Pfefferkörner und einige Chiliflocken in den Topf dazugeben. Die Flüssigkeit einmal aufkochen lassen, dann auf die beiden Gläser verteilen, mit den Deckeln verschließen und umgedreht auf einem Küchentuch abkühlen lassen.
5. Die eingelegten Gurken vor dem Verzehr an einem kühlen und dunklen Ort für mindestens 3-4 Wochen ziehen lassen. Wenn man sauber gearbeitet hat, halten die Essiggurken ungeöffnet etwa 1 Jahr durch. Nach dem Öffnen im Kühlschrank aufbewahren und innerhalb von 1-2 Monaten aufbrauchen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Easy Peasy Homemade Pickled Gherkins
- Prep Time: 00:10
- Cook Time: 00:05
- Total Time: 01:30
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Homemade
- Cuisine: Germany
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Pickled Gherkins are great for sandwiches and other dishes. Making them at home is super easy and fun – no need to buy them in the supermarket ;P
Ingredients
about 18 oz. (500g) cucumbers (gherkins) for pickling
1 small red onion
about 1 cup (250ml) white wine vinegar
about 1 cup (250ml) water
1 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. peppercorns
some chili flakes
2–3 tbsp. dill, chopped
Instructions
1. Sterilize the canning jars* (with screw cap) – boiling them in water is probably the easiest way to do that here.
2. Roughly clean the cucumbers and let them soak in water for about 1 hour, then scrub them again properly and dry them. Cut them into slices or wedges, as desired. Peel the onion and cut it into rings. Wash, dry, and coarsely chop the dill.
3. Add the cucumbers, onion, and dill to the sterilized glass jars. The less air you got between the cucumbers, the better. Fill the jars about halfway with white wine vinegar, then add water until the jars are full to the brim. Pour the liquid from the jars into a small pot. This works best if you put a strainer over the jar when pouring out the liquid to keep everything else in the jar.
4. Add salt, mustard seeds, peppercorns, and a few chili flakes to the pot. Bring everything to a boil, then divide the liquid (and everything else) between the two glass jars, seal them with the lids, and let them cool upside down on a kitchen towel.
5. Let the pickled cucumbers steep in a cool and dark place for at least 3-4 weeks before eating. If you work cleanly, the gherkins will last about 1 year unopened. Once opened, store in the fridge and use within 1-2 months.
Notes
Enjoy working those gherkins!
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
