Skābēti gurķi

Ingredients

Cucumbers

• 2 kgsmall pickling cucumbers, firm and unwaxed

Brine

• 2 litreswater
• 100 gcoarse non-iodised salt — 5% of the water’s weight

Aromatics

• 1large bunch dill with flower crowns
• 10blackcurrant leaves
• 6oak leaves
• 6cherry leaves
• 1 headgarlic, cloves peeled
• 1 piecehorseradish root, sliced
• 1 tbspblack peppercorns

Directions

1. Soak the cucumbers in ice-cold water for four hours. Cold, firm cucumbers stay crisp; limp ones never recover.
2. Trim a sliver off the blossom end of each. That end carries the enzyme that softens a whole jar, and it is the usual reason home pickles go hollow.
3. Dissolve the salt completely in the water. Weigh it — 5% is what protects the jar in the days before the bacteria build enough acid to do the job themselves.
4. Line the jar with half the dill and leaves, pack the cucumbers upright, and tuck the garlic, horseradish, peppercorns and the remaining leaves and dill among them.
5. The blackcurrant, oak and cherry leaves are not for flavour. Their tannins inhibit the enzymes that soften a pickle, and together with the trimmed ends and the cold soak they are why Latvian barrel cucumbers stay crunchy for months.
6. Pour over the brine so everything sits 3 cm below the surface, and weight the cucumbers down.
7. Cover loosely and leave at cool room temperature for one to two weeks, skimming any white film off as it appears.
8. They are ready when sour through and olive rather than bright green inside. Move somewhere cold, where they keep for months.

Technique

• Cold soak, trimmed ends, tannin leaves. All three, every time.
• Everything under the brine. Anything that floats will mould.
• Cool room, not warm. Above 22°C (72°F) they sour in days and go hollow.

Substitutions

• Grape or horseradish leaves in place of any of the others.
• A splash of brine from a working jar to start it faster.

Variations

• The Estonian hapukurk, Finnish suolakurkku and Russian solyonye ogurtsy are the same preserve.
• Small green tomatoes fermented in the same brine alongside.

History

Latvian households pack barrels each summer; the oak and currant leaves keep the cucumbers crisp.

Frequently asked questions

What is Skābēti gurķi?

Skābēti gurķi is a fermented & pickled from Latvia: cucumbers soured in brine with dill, blackcurrant and oak leaves. Latvian households pack barrels each summer; the oak and currant leaves keep the cucumbers crisp.

How long does Skābēti gurķi take to make?

Skābēti gurķi takes 30 min plus 1 to 2 weeks fermenting of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes fills a 3-litre jar. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Skābēti gurķi?

Yes, within limits. Grape or horseradish leaves in place of any of the others. A splash of brine from a working jar to start it faster.

What is the most important thing to get right in Skābēti gurķi?

Soak the cucumbers in ice-cold water for four hours. Cold, firm cucumbers stay crisp; limp ones never recover.