Grandmother’s cucumbers

This recipe from our granny is the best cucumber recipe I’ve ever tried in my life. Like all grandchildren love what their grandmothers cooked for them. She left her heritage written down on paper, but I can still remeber the taste!

Ingredients:

1 kg small garden cucumbers

2 onions

1 bunch dill

For the spice blend soup or “brew”:

250ml cider vinegar, 250ml white balsamico vinegar, 250ml herb vinegar, 750ml water

250g raw cane sugar

1 soup spoon salt

one table spoon each: blach pepper, juniper, pimento, coriander,

two table spoons mustard seeds, half ts cloves, 6 bay leaves

6 á 500g sterilized jars

Preparation: clean the cucumbers with a vegetable brush and water. Put them into a big pot filled with cold water and salt over night.

Peel the onions, cut them in 1/8 pieces and wash the dill. Pour the water and dry the cucumbers and cut them into slices or pieces you like. Put them into the sterilized jars, together with some onions and a part of the dill.  Distribute everything equally.

Afterwards cook the “soup” for a briefly, with all the vinegar, water and spices.

Then fill the jars with the hot liquid and very important: the cucumbers must be completely covered by the brew! Close all jars and turn them on the “head” side down, until they completely cool down.

Let the cucumbers steep for aprox. 2 weeks. They should remain stable in a dark cool place for 5-6 month. Enjoy!

 

 Asian Cucumbers (variation of the ones above)

 Ingedients:

1 kg small garden cucumbers

5 – 8 cm peeled ginger cut in slices or small pieces

1 red onion in 1/8 pieces

For the brew:

250ml cider vinegar, 250ml white balsamico vinegar, 250ml herb vinegar, 750ml water

250g raw cane sugar

1 soup spoon salt

2 ts coriander

1 ts each: black pepper, juniper, mustard seeds

1/2 red chili

1 stalk lemongras

Preparation: repeat like indicated above. Put the clean cucumbers in the prepared jars with the red onion, ginger ect.

Pour the hot brew in the filled jars, clode them firmly and turn the glases immediately up side down, until they cool down. See the recipe above. And ready! Enjoy!

This cucumbers were cooked and put on stage again by my sister Heike Fähndrich. Nice pics!