If you have ever been on holiday in the Spreewald, you have certainly tasted the delicious Spreewald gherkins. Cucumber cultivation has a long tradition in this region. To protect the vegetables from spoiling, the fresh cucumbers are preserved by adding vinegar and spices. With our recipe you can make the hearty speci alty yourself at home.
How can you pickle Spreewald cucumbers yourself?
To pickle Spreewald cucumbers yourself, you need small pickling cucumbers, vinegar, s alt, sugar and spices such as onion, mustard seeds, peppercorns, allspice seeds, dill, tarragon and bay leaves. The cucumbers are layered with the spices in sterilized jars and a cooled vinegar-water broth is poured over them. After boiling, let it steep for at least two weeks.
Which cucumbers are suitable?
Spreewald cucumbers are pickled whole. Therefore, you should choose a type of cucumber with small, firm fruits.
Ingredients
- 3 kg pickling cucumbers
- 750 ml vinegar, traditionally sprite vinegar with 10 percent acid is used.
- 3 liters of water
- 130 g s alt
- 500 g sugar
If you don't want to use sprite vinegar, you can replace it with 1500 ml of white wine vinegar with an acidity of 5 percent.
Each glass with a capacity of 750 ml also contains:
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 6 peppercorns
- 2 allspice seeds
- 3 stalks of fresh, chopped dill
- 1 stalk chopped tarragon
- ¼ Bay leaf
You will also need preserving jars to pickle the cucumbers. Well suited are:
- Screw cap jars with intact seal,
- Vessels with glass lids, clip closure and rubber ring.
- Traditional mason jars with glass lids, metal clip and rubber ring.
All containers must be sterilized in boiling water for ten minutes before inserting the Spreewald cucumbers.
Preparation
- Wash the cucumbers thoroughly and cut off the stem.
- Ply the vegetables and spices tightly in the jars.
- Boil the vinegar with the water, s alt and sugar. The crystals must dissolve completely.
- Let the stock cool and pour it over the cucumbers. These must be covered, leaving an approximately two centimeter wide edge at the top.
How to preserve cucumbers
- Place the jars on the rack of the canner and pour enough water so that half of the jars are in it.
- Cook at 85 degrees for 30 minutes.
- Take out, let cool and check whether a vacuum has formed in all glasses.
- Keep cool and dark and let sit for at least two weeks before eating.
Tip
If you don't have a preserving pot, a large cooking pot will do. Place a heatproof tea towel on the bottom of the pot and place the glasses in it so that they do not touch each other. Pour in water so that the glasses are halfway up. Bring everything to the boil and let it simmer for 25 minutes.
