Syrian pickle recipe

Ingredients

2 cups drinking water ( you may not use all of this)

1 tbsp sea salt

500g cucumbers, (or a variety of vegetables; turnips, carrots, onions…)

1 liter jar, sterilised and dried

½ cup apple vinegar

4 garlic cloves, smashed

 1 bay leaf

1 hot pepper, sliced lengthwise in half (will yield very spicy results, for less spicy do not slice)

Dried dill flowers and celery leaves, added to the bottom

Preparation

1. Mix the water with the salt and bring to a boil, stirring until the salt is completely dissolved. You can test for the correct salt amounts by placing an egg into the cooled solution. If the egg floats, you’ve got the right amount of salt. A starting rule we follow in my household is 1 tbsp of sea salt for every half litre.

2. Once the solution has chilled, place half the garlic cloves and the bay leafs at the bottom of the jar. If you are adding dill and celery leafs, then add them here.

3. Place the cucumbers into the jar, vertically, as close to each other as possible.

4. Once a full circle is reached, add the sliced hot pepper and continue filling with cucumbers.

5. Add the rest of the garlic.

6. Cover the jar with the cooled solution, leaving two inches to seal off with the apple vinegar and completely submerge the cucumbers. The picture below was added after pickles sat for 5 days and were already dug into, hence the colour, texture and packing difference.

6. Cover and leave it to sit in a cool, dry place. The pickles will be ready within 5 days and will last sealed for about a year, if they’re not consumed within days.

Lara Kh.