Pickles

Spicy Pickled Cucumbers

I have played around with pickling different vegetables but have never done a pickled cucumber, When I spotted pickling cucumbers at road side food stall I instantly had the idea to try it. The history of pickling to preserve food is very old right next to salting. The food is placed either in a brine (salt liquid) or acid (vinegar) this lowers the PH to less then 4.6 which creates a environment that will kill most bacteria and makes the food safe to eat. There are different forms of pickles and fermented vegetables found in just about every country in the world. The recipe I am trying is what is called Refrigerator Pickles, a mixture of vinegar, salt, sugar and spices. I washed and cut deep slits in the whole cucumbers then placed them in a jar large enough so they aren't crowded, the vinegar and spice mixture is brought to a boil then poured over the cucumbers to completely cover. Place the covered jar in the refrigerator and the pickles will be ready to eat after about a week. Keeping the pickle refrigerated during this whole process will ensure they do not spoil if your vinegar, salt and water ratios are not perfect enough to kill all the bacteria. I like mine spicy, so I used a lot of dry chilies and garlic cloves in my batch. After a week they can be cut into spears, chips or left whole to serve with your favorite sandwich or burger.