How To Make Israeli Pickles

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I'm a pickle freak. Not just for pickled cucumbers. I love pickled anything. Beets. Carrots. Green beans. Summer squash. Bell peppers. Pears. Yes, you can pickle fruit. You name it, I'll pickle it, and eat it. Most of the pickles I make are in a Caribbean vinegar-based pickling liquid, which I've concocted from several recipes over time, and sell quite well at market. Did you pick up on that? The selling at market? It means I won't be printing that recipe here.

But one pickle that I've never made and absolutely love is an Israeli pickle. Israeli pickles are fermented in a salt brine over several days. And if you can get your hands on them in a Kosher or Middle Eastern market, you'll see that the cucumber that's used is a specific gherkin grown in the Middle East. I've not yet found the seeds to grow my own, but I'm on the hunt for them. So I thought I'd give it a go since I was able to find some just harvested, organic, farm-fresh, Kirby cucumbers at the Pinecrest Gardens Farmers Market last week at Bee Heaven Farm's booth.

Ingredients:

Approximately 4 lbs pickling cucumbers, washed and dried
1 head of garlic, peeled and sliced thin
Fresh dill (I used my own out of the garden, but I estimate this to be equivalent to 1 package at the store)
1 Tablespoon crushed red chili pepper flakes, divided into 3
4 Tablespoons Kosher salt
Water, enough to fill the container you'll be using
Glass jar with lid
Metal knife

Instructions:

Find an appropriately sized glass jar with lid. I found one for $4 at my local grocery store by chance.

Glass jar with lid

Fill it with water and then pour that water into a pot. I used a measuring cup so I'd know how much water I was dealing with. My jar holds 9-1/2 cups of water give or take a splash.

Get your ingredients ready. Slice your garlic into thin slivers. Trim and quarter your cucumbers if you're using Kirby cucumbers like I did.

Note: You'll want to trim at least 1/16th inch off the blossom end of your cucumbers, according to several pickling/canning sources, to help maintain the crispness of your pickles. The blossom end contains enzymes that lead to softening.

Farm-fresh, organic, Kirby cucumbers



Garlic, dill, Kosher salt, and crushed red pepper flakes

 Into the jar, place one third of the sliced garlic, dill sprigs, and 1 teaspoon of the dried red chili pepper flakes. Now add half the cucumbers, followed by another third of the garlic, dill, and chili pepper flakes. Next add the other half of the cucumbers topped with the last third of herbs and spices.

Filled jar before adding water

Now add all 4 Tablespoons of Kosher salt to the water in the pot and bring it to a boil. Using a metal knife stuck down into the jar to help disperse the heat so your glass jar doesn't crack, slowly and carefully pour the boiling salt water mixture into the jar, leaving about half inch of head space.

Filled jar

Put the lid on the jar and let it sit till it's cool enough to move. Place the jar in the sunniest spot in your kitchen. I put mine in my kitchen window. Let it sit there for 3 days. Then you can move the jar to a different location for another 3-4 days. After a week, put your Israeli pickles in the refrigerator to get nice and cold, and give them a taste.

Israeli pickles

Let me know how yours turn out. I'll let you know how mine do.