Let’s pickle some cucumbers! This spicy sweet and sour dill pickles recipe is our favorite and never disappoints!

When I visited my parents in July all I saw were cucumbers! The garden was packed with them! The pantry as well! Even though that this year’s fruit and veg harvest has been significantly smaller than previous years’(thanks to the unexpected “touch” of frost in spring) cucumbers and zucchinis seemed to have no problem recovering and growing in such sizes (zucchinis) and numbers (zucchinis + cucumbers).

Step 1: Ingredients:

2l (67fl oz) Water

80g (2.8oz) Salt

250g (8.8oz) Caster Sugar

700ml (24fl oz) Distilled Vinegar

Fresh Dill Flowers

1.2-1.5kg (2.6-3.3lb) Pickling Cucumbers

12 Jamaican Peppercorns

12 Black Peppercorns

8 Bay Leaves

4-8 Chili peppers of your Choice (optional)

Step 2: Directions:

First things first:

Wash the cucumber thoroughly. Sterilize your jars and lids. I normally wash them in soapy water and boil for about 10-15 minutes in a large pot. Make sure all your jars are of the same size.

Make the sweet & sour pickling sauce:

Bring the water + salt + sugar to a boil. Cook until the sugar has dissolved. Turn off the heat. Add vinegar & stir.

The pickling:

1. Place at the bottom of each jar 1 dill flower, 2-3 Jamaican peppercorns/Allspice, 3 whole pepper corns, 2 bay leaves + optional: coriander seeds, cloves.

2. Then fill each jar with whole pickling cucumbers – fit in as many as possible (you could fit it about 400g/14oz) and 1-2 chilies, if you like them hot.

3. Pour over the sweet & sour pickling sauce leaving 1cm/0.5 inch headspace.

4. Close jars with sterilized lids and place them in a pot. Cover with water but make sure the lids are NOT under water (leave 1cm/0.5 inch space between lids and water).

Note: You can use warm or cold sweet & sour pickling sauce. If you use cold one (you can prepare it day ahead) then use warm water fill the pot. If using warm one, then use warm water to fill the pot.

5. Slowly bring to a boil and boil 10 minutes at 100C/212F.

6. Take the jars out (use thongs) and place them onto a kitchen towel upside down until the next day.

7. Check if each jar is airtight. If you find some jars are not, simply place them in the fridge and eat these first.