Borrowing Recipe for Sour Pickles to Make at Home

Question: We have searched the shops and stores in our vicinity for sour pickles. Also wrote to several pickle companies, but no one seems to make or sell them. Do you know where I can buy, borrow or steal sour pickles? We’ll even make them if you tell us how.

Answer: We last ran the instructions for making sour pickles more than three years ago, so perhaps it’s time to repeat the recipe for these favorites. It comes from the “Ball Blue Book--The Guide to Home Canning and Freezing” (Edition 32, Ball Corp.: 1989).

There are three steps required in making sour pickles. Cucumbers must first be brined, then desalted and finally used in the recipe for Sweet Cucumber Pickles, omitting all or part of the sugar.

SWEET CUCUMBER PICKLES

3 1/3 cups sugar

1 quart vinegar

2 sticks cinnamon

1 tablespoon ginger root

1 tablespoon whole cloves

1 tablespoon mace

3 pounds Desalted Brined Cucumbers

Dissolve sugar in vinegar in large saucepan. Tie cinnamon, ginger, cloves and mace in cheesecloth bag and add to pan. Bring to boil, add drained cucumbers and boil 3 minutes.

Pour into container and allow to stand 3 days. Each day drain off liquid, bring to boil and pour back over cucumbers.

Remove spice bag. Pack cucumbers in hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Bring pickling liquid to boil. Cover cucumbers with hot liquid, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Adjust caps. Process 15 minutes in boiling water bath. Makes about 5 pints.

Desalted Brined Cucumbers

Brined Cucumbers

Cider vinegar

Cover Brined Cucumbers with hot water (180 degrees) using at least 3 times as much water as cucumbers. Let stand about 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Lift cucumbers out of water. Pour out water, then rinse container.

Again cover cucumbers with hot water (180 degrees). Let stand about 4 hours. Stir occasionally.

Lift cucumbers out of water. Pour out water, then rinse container.

Pierce cucumbers in several places to prevent shriveling, using silver or stainless steel fork. Let pickles stand in weak vinegar solution (1 part water to 3 parts cider vinegar) 12 hours.

Taste to see if sufficient salt has been removed. If not, let stand 12 hours longer.

Brined Cucumbers

Cucumbers

Salt

Paraffin

Wash cucumbers carefully. Use only freshly harvested, slightly immature pickling variety.

Weigh cucumbers. Place in clean crock or glass jar and cover with 10% brine solution--made by dissolving 1 cup salt in 2 quarts water. (Cucumbers may be added during first day or 2 of curing process if enough brine is added to cover them and if salt is added in definite amounts to maintain 10% brine.)

Weight cucumbers down under brine with clean plate or something similar. Glass jar filled with water makes excellent weight. Store in cool, dark place.

Next day, add salt at rate of 1 cup for each 5 pounds of cucumbers. This is necessary to maintain 10% brine solution. Salt should be added on top of plate or clean cloth (and not directly on cucumbers) to prevent its going to bottom and forming too strong brine there.

Remove scum that forms on top of brine. If not removed, scum will destroy acidity of brine and result in spoilage of product.

At end of week and for 4 or 5 succeeding weeks, add 1/4 cup salt for each 5 pounds cucumbers. Add in same manner as already discussed.

Fermentation resulting in bubble formation should continue about 4 weeks. Test for bubbles by tapping container on side with hand. As second test, cut cucumber in half. Fermentation is complete when cucumbers are same color throughout and no noticeable rings or white spots are present.

Cucumbers may be kept in 10% brine solution--no more salt added after they are cured--until made into pickles. Best temperature for brining cucumbers is about 80 degrees to 85 degrees.

Pour layer paraffin (1/4-inch thick) on top of brine. Cover with lid and store in dark, dry, cool place.

Note: Desalt Brined Cucumbers before using in recipes.