Cucumbers and Pickles

This recipe ran in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer September 4, 2002 in an article about the Duris farm and family.

This recipe is perfect for people who want to make a crunchy pickle without canning or making a large batch. Stop by their stall and get the inside scoop on cukes and preserving them the “safe, easy way”.

DURIS COLD-PACK REFRIGERATOR DILLS Makes one quart

2 grape leaves
2 stalks fresh dill wound in small coils
3 peeled cloves garlic
1/4 white onion, sliced
3 teaspoons pickling salt
2 teaspoons mustard seed
15 whole black peppercorns
1 dried red chili pepper
1/4 teaspoon alum
1/4 fresh jalapeño pepper, sliced
1 slice red bell pepper (or more to taste)
5 medium pickling cucumbers, blossom end removed
2 to 3 small pickling cucumbers, blossom end removed
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (5 percent acidity)

Put 1 grape leaf in jar. Add 1 coil dill, garlic, pickling salt, mustard seed, peppercorns, chili pepper and alum. Arrange the medium cucumbers vertically in the jar, holding them against the side. Fill in the jar with the small cucumbers.

Slip the jalapeño slices, red bell pepper slices and onion slices between the glass and cucumbers so that they make a pretty design. Add the vinegar and fill the jar with tap water to within 1/2 inch of the top. Top with remaining dill coil. Cover with the remaining grape leaf to help hold everything down and maintain crispness. Screw on lid and shake well to dissolve the salt and alum. Store in refrigerator for at least a month before eating.

Note: This recipe can be adjusted to any size jar. Store jar in refrigerator.
It will last up to six months in the refrigerator.

---

---

---