I’ve really come to enjoy my Saturday farmer’s market trips. I think it’s a combination of the plethora of multi-colored produce, the helpful and humble farmers that hand over their labors of love in crates and bags, and the feeling of community that seems to permeate everyone and everything. It’s always a treat when I find something I’ve never seen or used before. Sometimes I ask the farmer a few questions about this new mystery item, or perhaps google it when I get home. But, I usually just get into the kitchen and brainstorm for a while before digging in.
Several weeks ago I bought a few lemon cucumbers from some lovely ladies at the farmer’s market. They are about the size of a lemon and are completely round. Their outside skin is streaked in shades of yellow and their flesh is a bit sweeter than a regular cucumber. It only took one bite to fall in love, and two bites to make plans for pickles.
These pickles are better than anything you will get at the grocery store. They 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. I bet they would be particularly delicious in a roasted potato salad or atop your favorite summer burger. Whatever way you decide to eat them, you won’t be disappointed.
Lemon Cucumber Quick Pickles
notes: This recipe is a “quick pickle”, so it sets up in your fridge and keeps there for about a month. It is not formulated for canning. If you cannot source lemon cucumbers, regular cucumbers will work just fine. Makes 2 pint jars.
1 1/2 lbs lemon cucumbers
1 1/4 c water
1 1/4 c distilled white vinegar (if you are gluten free, make sure your vinegar is, too)
1/8 cup organic sugar
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 tbsp whole mustard seeds
1/2 tbsp whole pink peppercorns
1/2 tsp whole cloves
4 sprigs of dill
2 clean pint jars
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 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 very clean. Place 2 sprigs of dill in each jar. Divide the pickles and pickling liquid evenly between the 2 jars and put them in the fridge. Leave them in the fridge for at least 24 hours before eating, though 1 week is preferable. They will keep in the fridge about a month.
thanks for sharing...
Oops. I just canned several jars with your recipe, not noticing that it's not formulated for canning. What will happen to them? They all sealed and I've stored them in the cupboard.
You used a 1:1 ratio of water:5% vinegar and more than the 1.5 tsp of salt per pint that’s normally used in water-bath or pressure bath canning of cucumber pickles.
I can Lemon and Mini-Me Cukes with that ratio and salt amounts and it meets FDA requirements for acidity, following recipes in Better Homes and Gardens You Can Cook book and Pickling Everything by Leda Meredith.
It should keep unopened with the vacuum seal intact at room temp for at least a year.
This is such helpful information! Thank you for sharing!
I would put them in your fridge as I'm not sure if the acidity content is high enough for prolonged shelf storage. They should still be fine 🙂
Thank you! It's only been under two weeks. I'll put them in the fridge and try to consume them. Do you have a modified brine for canning? Just up the vinegar? I have a million lemon cukes this year! Thank you!
I know for canning shelf stable pickles you need to use a vinegar with at least 5% acidity and usually the brine is made from equal parts water/vinegar. I'm realizing now that these actually might be shelf stable without the fresh dill (dill seeds would be better) as long as you use a vinegar with 5% acidity. Here's a good resource to check out: http://foodinjars.com/2009/08/garlic-dill-pickles/
Thank you!!! I will check out that link and look what vinegar I used. I watched a youtube video for canning pickles and she used fresh dill and 2:1 ratio vinegar to water… This canning world is huge and I'm a rookie 🙂 Your recipe is so amazing though. I already ate a whole jar 🙂
Glad you like the recipe 🙂
Thank you for this recipe! I was looking for a refrigerator pickle recipe to make with my 5 year old granddaughter who loves dill pickles. We too have an abundance of lemon cucumbers. Could I use dry dill instead of fresh? Also you meantioned they are just slightly sweet.
Wwould you say these are closer to dill that sweet pickles?
I would use dill seed as dried dill won't work quite as well. And yes, they are a dill pickle not a sweet pickle (I've never been a fan of sweet pickles). If you want you can always just leave the sugar out 🙂
I recently lost my husband and I don’t go thru canned pickles as fast as before. A shelf stored canned sweet pickle would be best for me. What do you recommend?
Hi Phyllis! Anytime I’ve made pickles it’s usually a refrigerator pickle since I go through them so quickly (so that’s why any of the recipes on the blog are refrigerator pickles). But, I did a little research to see if I could re-work the recipe to be shelf stable. In the recipe above, you would use all vinegar. So just to be safe, I would go with 3 cups total of distilled white vinegar (and no added water). To make them sweeter you could increase the sugar to 1/4 or even a 1/2 cup. Instead of using fresh dill I would recommend using 1-2 tsp dill seed. Or, you can omit it altogether. Add the vinegar, salt, sugar, and spices to a large pot and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil add the sliced cucumbers and return the mixture to a boil. After it comes to a boil remove it from the heat and carefully ladle it into your sterilized jars leaving a half inch of headspace. Process in a water bath for 10 minutes. Let the jars cool completely then check to make sure the lids sealed. If so they are shelf stable up to a year. If not put them in the fridge and eat them within 1-2 months. I hope this helps!