Fresh & Crunchy Saltwater Pickles

Pickllllles! Oh do I love pickles. Especially the ones you find at Yum! Kitchen any time you order one of their gourmet sandwiches. Have you tried their pickles? They’re bright green, crunchy and salty, and they’re tough to find anywhere else. Thus I decided to make some at home, so that we wouldn’t need to buy a sandwich every time we had a craving for one.

After a bit of research, I found that what helps these babies retain their color and crunchiness is that they’re actually soaked in saltwater rather than vinegar. Also known as half sour pickles, saltwater pickles need to be refrigerated, and also have a shorter shelf life than traditional vinegar pickles. But let’s be serious, their shelf life isn’t really an issue–they usually disappear within a few days!

Ingredients*:

• 8 pickling cucumbers (short cukes)
• 1/8 c + 1 tbsp sea salt
• 4 c water
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 heaping tsp black peppercorns
• 1/2 heaping tsp mustard seed
• 1/2 heaping tsp coriander
• 6-8 small fresh sprigs of dill
• two – 1/2 gallon mason jars with lids
• recloseable bag + rolling pin

*Proportions are for two 1/2 gallon jars of pickles.

Step 1:  Wash and dry your cukes. Place 4 pickles in each jar.

Step 2: In a pitcher (or any vessel with a pouring spout), dissolve sea salt in water, and set aside.

Step 3: Seal peppercorns, mustard seed and coriander in a recloseable bag and crush them by rolling over the bag with a rolling pin (or pulse them a few times in a spice grinder if you have one). Divide dry spices between the two jars.

Step 4: Divide minced garlic between the two jars and pour saltwater over pickles until jars are full and cucumbers are covered. Discard leftover saltwater.

Step 5: Tuck 3-4 dill sprigs in each jar. Cover and refrigerate for at least 5 days. Consume within a few weeks.