How to Prepare Cucumbers for Pickling
Different fruits and vegetables are used for pickling purposes all over the world. Although this process was initially used for preserving food, the situation has changed completely these days. People use the pickles for adding more taste to their main recipes and it has got some nutritional benefits too, as the pickled vegetables and fruits produce vitamin B in abundance. The process of pickling is not a new one and began way back some 4000 years ago in India. The ingredient that was used back then was cucumber, so one can say that the original form of pickling was done with cucumbers.
Things Required:
– Cucumbers
– Brown Sugar
– Pickling spice
– Vinegar
– Mustard
– Salt
– Pepper
– Knife
Instructions
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1
Place cucumbers in refrigerator
The first thing you need to do is placing the cucumbers in the refrigerator for some time. However, you need to ensure that they stay moist free, so wrap them up in a plastic bag until you get the remaining ingredients ready for the pickling process. -
2
Gather remaining ingredients
Collect all of the remaining ingredients, which are required for pickling purposes. You need to mix them up properly and allow the mixture to settle for about half an hour. Most of the ingredients required for pickling will be available at your home. If not, you can buy them from the market easily. -
3
Wash the cucumbers
Once the pickling mixture is ready, remove the cucumbers from the refrigerator and wash them with cold running water. Make sure that all of the dirt is removed properly, as you will be pickling the cucumbers with their skin. -
4
Cut cucumbers from each end
Take a sharp knife and cut 1/16 inch slice of cucumbers from each side. You also need to ensure that the cucumber blossom is not attached and has been removed. -
5
Chop the cucumbers
The final step in preparing the cucumbers for pickling is chopping them down. You can choose the size of the slices according to your preferences, but it is ideal to keep them thin, as that will help in pickling rapidly. If you wish to make butter pickles, you will have to chop the cucumbers in equal slices. In case, you want to prepare the dill pickles, cut the cucumber in half and then slice lengthwise.
