Grandma's pickled cucumbers

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 2 ½ kg cucumber(s), small
• 1 bunch of dill
• 8 tbsp spice mix (cucumber spice)
• 2 ½ liters of water
• 1.12 kg sugar
• 200 ml vinegar essence
• 1 tsp salt
• possibly chili pepper(s)
• possibly garlic clove(s)

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 12 hours; Total time approx. 13 hours

from the treasure chest, makes about 8 medium-sized glasses

This recipe takes some time, as the cucumbers need to be prepared the day before. Place the cucumbers (preferably small ones so they fit easily into the jar) in water and brush away any impurities. Remove the stem ends. Then, place the cleaned cucumbers in a bowl with about 1-2 teaspoons of salt and fresh water and soak overnight. This will reveal any bruises the cucumbers have sustained the next day. These will then appear yellow, and the cucumbers should not be used, as otherwise lactic acid bacteria will form in the jar and the jars will become cloudy and inedible. Drain the remaining cucumbers the next day. Prepare enough jars. Preserving jars or cleaned jars from store-bought canned vegetables are best. Rinse them with hot water and thoroughly clean the lids. Now separate the dill heads from the stems. Do not use yellow heads! Place one head in each jar. Then fill with the cucumbers. But be careful! Don’t press the cucumbers in! Then add a tablespoon of seasoning to each jar. If you like, you can also add a small chili pepper or a clove of garlic. Now prepare the stock: Dissolve 1.120 kg of sugar, 200 ml of vinegar essence and 1 teaspoon of salt in 2.5 liters of water. Heat everything up, but do not boil! Then pour the hot stock into the jars so that the cucumbers are completely covered. Now close with the lids. Next it is time to use the preserving machine. Here the jars are arranged so that they do not touch each other. Pour in enough cold water so that the jars are about half covered. Now the machine is heated to 70°C. As soon as the indicator light goes out, wait 20 minutes. Then the jars are taken out to cool down. Do not refill the machine until it has cooled down! The water must be cold. The cucumbers now need to marinate for about another 3 weeks before they can be eaten.