Canned pickled cucumbers are not the healthiest food to consume. They are acid-forming in the body. See Acid Alkaline Balance for details. However, they taste good and are crucial ingredients for certain dishes.
Fresh cucumbers, on the contrary, are alkalizing and healthy.
There is an easy way to combine both benefits in one product: quick pickles. Pickles would normally involve making a marinade. Also they require a pickling jar with a vinegar-safe lid and at least one day waiting time.
However, there is an easier way around that. You can have your pickles in as soon as one hour. This is if you are in a real hurry. Regular preparation time is 5 hours. There will be no need to prep the usual marinade, nor will any jar be required.
All you will need is the desired amount of cucumbers, salt, chili peppers, garlic, dill and a couple of food grade plastic bags. These kinds of pickles are best to be consumed on the same day.
Choose cucumbers that have a rough skin. They are the best for pickling.
Hymalayan salt is recommended as the most pure and mineral-rich salt. It can be coarse or fine.
For 2 cups of cucumbers you will need:
- approx 10 grams or half a tablespoon of salt
- 2-3 garlic cloves, 5-6 if you use baby garlic
- 1 chili pepper
- dill to taste
- a pinch of sugar (optional)
- 1 black currant leaf (optional)
- 2 food grade plastic bags. One is enough, the extra one is to avoid possible leakage.
If you are not in a hurry, first soak cucumbers in water for one hour. There is no need to do this if they are fresh from the garden. Cut the cucumber ends. Puncture cucumbers with a fork 5-6 times each This will facilitate the process.
If you want to have your pickles as soon as in one hour; instead of puncturing, cut each cucumber into four wedges.
Chop chili pepper and garlic. Cut the dill into about one-inch pieces.
Place all the ingredients into a double-up food grade plastic bag. Secure the bag so that some air remains.
Toss the ingredients inside the bag for a minute, then leave in the fridge. Every now and then toss the bag again.
The pickles are ready in 5 hours for the whole cucumbers and in 1 hour for the wedges. Once pickles are ready, there will be a small amount of liquid marinade in the bag.
If you want to store them for over 24 hours, be sure to drain the marinade out.
