canning

These lemon cucumber pickles are ready with just 20 minutes of hands-on time. Crisp lemon cucumbers are pickled in a simple brine flavored with garlic, fresh dill, mustard seeds, pink peppercorns, and cloves. Made with the quick-pickle method, these tangy pickles are ready for enjoying right away though they taste best after 24 hours.

Thanks to some lovely farmers at my local farmers market, I was introduced to these beautiful lemon cucumbers! While they don’t have a lemon flavor, they get their name from the fact they they are round, roughly the size of a lemon, and have yellow skin. Since pickles are one of my absolute favorite snacks throughout the warmer months, I knew I needed to whip up a batch of quick pickles. These lemon cucumber pickles come together with just 20 minutes of hands-on time and can be eaten right away, though I HIGHLY recommend letting them pickle in the fridge for at least 24 hours first. The combination of fresh dill, garlic, and the whole spices gives them a complex flavor that is way better than a standard dill pickle!

Pickle Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you need to make these quick pickles: lemon cucumbers, water, white vinegar, kosher salt, sugar, garlic cloves, fresh dill, whole mustard seed, peppercorns, and whole cloves. While lemon cucumbers make great pickles, they aren’t necessarily easy to find unless you grow them or find them at a farmers market. Any pickling cucumber variety or crisp slicing variety can be used in their place! Simply substitute an equal amount by weight. I’ve tried this recipe with both distilled white vinegar and apple cider vinegar. Both work, but I find that I prefer the flavor of the white vinegar.

Making Lemon Cucumber Pickles with the Quick-Pickle Method

These cucumbers are made with the quick-pickle or refrigerator pickle method because they aren’t canned for shelf stability. With this method, you’re pickling the cucumbers in a simple brine made with salt, a little sugar, and equal parts water and distilled white vinegar. The brine is brought to a simmer, then poured over the sliced cucumbers. The cucumbers will pickle for an hour before being divided into jars. At that point, they can go into the refrigerator and will last up to a month.

Enjoying Your Pickles

These pickles are tangy and crisp with only the slightest bit of sweetness.  I’ve mostly been eating them straight out of the jar, but the options are limitless!  Here are some suggestions for enjoying your lemon cucumber pickles:

• atop a veggie burger or sandwich
• chopped up and added to salads
• as part of a vegetarian charcuterie spread alongside olives, fruit, crackers, and your favorite cheese
• minced and added to dips or your favorite homemade ranch

Lemon Cucumber Pickles (quick-pickle method)

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• Author: Courtney West
• Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
• Yield: 2 pints 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

These lemon cucumber pickles are ready with just 20 minutes of hands-on time! Crisp lemon cucumbers are pickled in a simple brine flavored with garlic, fresh dill, mustard seeds, pink peppercorns, and cloves. Made with the quick-pickle method, these tangy pickles are ready for enjoying right away though they taste best after 24 hours.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 1/2 pounds lemon cucumbers
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1/2 tablespoon whole mustard seeds
• 1/2 tablespoon whole pink peppercorns, or black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
• 4 sprigs fresh dill
• 2 clean pint jars

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Instructions

Prep the cucumbers: scrub the outside skin well and then cut off the ends of the cucumbers.  Slice the cucumbers into 1/4-inch thick rounds and set aside in a large heat proof bowl.

Combine the water, vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic, and spices in a sauce pan.  Bring this mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool at least 15 minutes.  Once the mixture has cooled a bit, pour it over your cucumbers and let them sit for 1 hour, covered.

Prep the jars: make sure your 2 pint jars (or 1 quart jar) are clean.  Place 2 sprigs of dill in the bottom of each jar.  Divide the pickles and pickling liquid evenly between the 2 jars then put them in the fridge.  Leave the pickles in the fridge for at least 24 hours before eating to allow them to absorb the flavors of the dill and spices.  They will keep in the fridge about a month.

Notes

• I developed this recipe as a “quick pickle” so it sets up in your fridge and keeps there for about a month.  I have not tested it for being shelf stable for canning.
• If you do not have lemon cucumbers, regular slicing or pickling cucumbers will work just fine. Use 1 1/2 pounds of your favorite variety.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cooling Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Category: canning