Curry Pickles

I have been making these curry pickles for nearly 30 years.  But although I really like them, I have been lazy in the recent past and it has been a number of years since I made any.

This weekend I got a wild hair and decided to try them using a shortcut.  Rather than trying to find pickling cucumbers (probably a tall order this time of year), I bought a couple of big bottles of dill gherkins from Costco and repurposed them.

The recipe calls for aging them for three months to reach full flavor, but I'm sure that I will open one jar up in about a week to see if the conversion process is going to work.  If not, I guess I will look for some pickling cucumbers a little later this year.


Curry Pickles
For best flavor, age pickles for three months before opening. Excellent with cold pork, chicken or roast lamb.
Yield: about 7 pints

Ingredients
8  lbs slender, small cucumbers, well scrubbed

2 1/2 quarts  cider vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup coarse salt
1/3 cup dry mustard
1/3 cup curry powder
1/3 cup pickling spice
1/4 cup mustard seed
1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground red pepper

How to Make

1. Bring large amount of water to boil in stockpot over high heat. Meanwhile, trim all stems and blossoms from cucumbers, discarding any cucumbers that are soft.

2. Add cucumbers to boiling water and blanch 30 seconds. Drain well; pat dry. Pack tightly into clean, hot jars to 1/2 inch from top.

3. Combine remaining ingredients in stockpot and bring to rapid boil. Ladle enough hot brine into 1 jar just to cover cucumbers. Run plastic knife or spatula between cucumbers and jar to release any air bubbles. Clean rim and threads of the jar with a damp cloth. Seal jar with new, scalded, very hot lid. repeat with remaining jars.

4. Transfer jars to gently simmering (180°F to 190°F) water bath and process for 10 minutes. Let jars cool on rack. Test for seal. Store pickles in cool dry place.

Loni Kuhn

 A Complete Guide to the Pleasures of Preserving, Bon Appetit / September 1982 p.80