Best Homemade Pickled Cucumber Recipe

Freshly pickled vegetables are delicious especially when they are still crunchy. As such homemade ones are the best because they can be eaten as soon as they are ready. Pickled Cucumbers?are no exception. They require only a very short pickling time and should be consumed within a week or two.

Nutrition

Like pickled vegetables such as sauerkraut, sour pickled cucumbers (technically a fruit) are low in calories. They also contain a moderate amount of vitamin K, specifically in the form of K1. 30-gram sour pickled cucumber offers 12–16 g, or approximately 15–20%, of the Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamin K. It also offers 3 kilocalories (13 kJ), most of which come from carbohydrate. However, most sour pickled cucumbers are also high in sodium; one pickled cucumber can contain 350–500 mg, or 15–20% of the American recommended a daily limit of 2400 mg.

Sweet pickled cucumbers, including bread-and-butter pickles, are higher in calories due to their sugar content; a similar 30-gram portion may contain 20 to 30 kilocalories (84 to 126 kJ). Sweet pickled cucumbers also tend to contain significantly less sodium than sour pickles.

Pickles are being researched for their ability to act as vegetables with high probiotic content. Probiotics are typically associated with dairy products, but lactobacilli species such as L. plantarum and L. brevis have been shown to add to the nutritional value of pickles.

Green cucumbers are a crisp spring treat eaten raw, but they’re bold enough to stand up to all sorts of treatment. Their mellow flavor makes them ideal for pickling, and they're refreshing in a chilled soup during the summer. Try a slice in gin cocktails, too.

Preparation time:15 minutes

Servers：4

Ingredients

2 cucumbers, finely sliced

2 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar

11/2 tbsp caster sugar

Method

1. Toss the cucumbers with the salt and tip into a colander. Cover with a saucer and place a weight, such as a tin of beans, on top. Set aside for 20 minutes.

2. Remove the plate and squeeze the cucumber gently between your hands to get rid of any excess water, then pat dry with kitchen paper. Toss with the vinegar and sugar and a handful of chopped dill, if liked. Delicious in hamburgers or as an accompaniment to smoked salmon.