Pickled Gherkins

[Chantal]

Does anyone have a recipe for pickled gherkins? I have loads of the things and no idea what to do next.

[Jenny Green]

Stop showing off! I haven't got any yet.

[Johnboy]

Hi Both,
Of the nine plants I have got going there are simply hundreds of male flowers and not a female flower in sight.They have until the end of the week and they will be grubbed up.
What is so disappointing is that we all had the seed from the same source The very generous Tigger
and mine had germinated winthin 3 days of receipt.
Sick making!!

[Belinda]

Method 1: Select gherkins of a uniform size, place in a saucepan and cover with standard brine (half lb salt to 3 pints water). Bring to nearly boiling point, do not actually boil, but simmer for 10mins.
Drain until cold, then pack into jars and cover with spiced vinegar, preferably aromatic.

Method 2: Brine the gherkins for 3 days in standard brine (see above). Drain off the brine and repeat for another 3 days. Drain and soak in water to which alum has been added in the proporation of 1 dessertsp. to 2 qt. for 6hrs, then drain well and simmer for 10mins in spiced vinegar, pack into warm jars and cover with the still hot vinegar.

Note: The first method is the simplest, but No. 2 gives a better colour.

[Chantal]

Thank you Belinda, I think I'll give the first method a try and see what the colour's like. The other way seems very long winded.

Just a note, my gherkins are not actually the ones from Tigger. I already had a packet (identical) which I had started in pots so they would be a week or so ahead of yours from Malvern. They were exactly the same seed packet though so it should really make little difference in the end.

[Tigger]

Thankyou for calling me generous JB but I'm just good at retail therapy. The gherkin seeds were from Lidl at the astronmic price of 29p per packet. I get all my basic seeds from there and then spend what I save(?) on lovelies from Seeds of Italy, T&M., Ryton and others.

[Chantal]

Tigger! I wasn't going to let on they were from Lidl.

[retropants]

I pickle gherkins sliced with dill and/or garlic and mustard seeds.
Wash and slice the gherkins, soak the slices overnight in brine. Rinse well and pack into jars with dill etc. Top up jars with vinegar. apparently they are absolutely fab (another thing that I grow and pickle, but don't eat !)

[Trevor Holloway]

I pickled my first ever batch of gherkins ans shallots on Saturday.

Folloowed the instructions to heat but not boil in brine for 10 mins, allow to cool, put in the jar and cover with vinegar.

I now have 1 litre of mushy shallots and 1/2 litre of mushy gherkins - what have I done wrong ?

I will get more gherkins but no more shallots - very proud of growing them but then ruined in the preserving - not happy at all.

[retropants]

Hello there Trevor,
So sorry to hear it all went pear shaped with the pickles.
I have pickled onions many moons ago, but I didn't cook them, I soaked them overnight in brine, then packed into jars with vinegar and plenty of spices (same as for the sliced gherkins). They seemed to work fine, and packed a punch too.
Hopefully, you can re-try with the gherkins, and look forward to next years crop of shallots?
Best of luck, we all have a few disasters now and then!

[Jenny Green]

I have gherkins!
But only a few at the mo. Could I pickle them with some onions that didn't grow very much? Whoops, meant to say onions I grew specifically for pickling.
Am going to do the soaking in brine method cos that's what I use for onions.