Russian Sour Pickles
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coarse Kosher salt
- 16-20 small cucumbers (preferably kirby) tips trimmed, and well washed
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- 12 black peppercorns
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 bay leaf
- 2 bunches dill with seed heads
- 1-2 horseradish or grape leaves (optional)
Instructions
Cucumber Pickles. Dissolve 1/4 cup salt in 2 1/2 quarts water in a large bowl. Add cucumbers and set aside for 12 hours. Drain and rinse. Combine 1/4 cup salt, sugar, vinegar, and 2 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Place grape leaf, 3 cloves of the garlic, 1 bay leaf, 6 black peppercorns, and 1 bunch of dill in hot sterilized quart jars. Fit cucumbers upright in jars. Pour hot vinegar mixture over cucumbers to cover. Put lids on jars, and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove jars from pot and cool. Store in a cool, dark place for at least 3 weeks, and up to 1 year. I put up alot of pickles last year and I tripled this recipe with no ill effects. The original recipe calls for straight cider vinegar, but I found them to be a little TOO strong. It work really well if you put half and half. However, if you really want to pucker up - use straight cider vinegar.
