Crisp Gherkins

New Zealand Listener, Volume 20, Issue 509, 25 March 1949, Page 23

Crisp Gherkins

Dear Aunt Daisy, Would you tell me how to pickle gherkins, so as to keep them crisp and green. Mine have a tendency to go soft. "].H.G.," Christchurch. I have two recipes for pickling gherkins, one of which says to boil the gherkins in spiced vinegar for 2 minutes after soaking all night in brine; while the other soaks the gherkins in brine for 3 days and does not boil them at all before covering them with boiling, spiced vinegar. Perhaps the gherkins would turn out crisper and greener by compromising with the two methods, i.é., soak them in the brine only 24 hours, and not boil them at all. Try this méthod. Soak the gherkins for 24 hours in brine strong enough to float an egg. Remove, wipe perfectly dry, and put into sterilised jars or. stone crock. Boil suffificient vinegar to cover them, with spices, in the proportion of oz. whole black pepper, 6 cloves, loz, bruised root ginger. 40z. whole black spice, 1 teaspoon mace, a little horse-radish (if desired), to a quart of vinegar. Boij for 10 minutes, then pour it, boiling, over the gherkins, cover the jar with vine leaves, put a plate over the top and leave all night in a warmish place. Next day, drain off the vinegar and boil it up again for a few minutes, then pour it back over the gherkins. Cover with fresh leaves and leave till cold. Then seal quite airtight. Ready in a month or two. Some fecipes say to seal hot, others to seal cold-it probably would not make any difference.