What you'll need:
- Enough water to fill the jar you are using
- Salt (1 tablespoon per litre of water)
- 1 kilo of small, very fresh cucumbers.
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 bunch of fresh dill
- 1 chilli
1. Sterilise the jar by submerging in boiling water from the kettle for a couple of minutes.
2. Wash off the cucumbers really well.
3. Stack the cucumbers tightly (if you lay the jar flat it's a bit easier)
4. Tuck in whole garlic cloves, chilli and dill along side the cucumbers. Make sure they are all stuffed in really tightly as from what I have read they will shrink a little.
5. Gently heat the water and salt to allow it to dissolve. Let it cool and then poor over the cucumbers. Make sure everything is fully submerged. Anything sticking out of the top is likely to become mouldy.
The pickles should be ready to eat after about a week, but will keep for months and months. I have read different things, but the consensus seems to be to leave it in a sunny spot for 3 days (by which time the water will become cloudy - this is normal), and then transferred to somewhere out of direct sunlight.
This is the first time I've ever made them, so I'll have to let you know how they turn out!