Spice Pickles

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Spice Pickles

📝 Description

 Spice Pickles are bold, tangy, garlicky, and unapologetically spicy. These are old-school, brine-heavy pickles packed with whole spices that slowly infuse deep flavor over time. They’re crunchy, punchy, and addictive—the kind of pickle you sneak straight from the jar at midnight.

🧾 Ingredients

  • 4–5 small cucumbers (pickling cucumbers work best)

  • 1½ cups water

  • 1½ cups white vinegar or apple cider vinegar

  • 1½ tbsp kosher salt

  • 1 tbsp sugar (optional, for balance)

  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed

  • 1 tsp mustard seeds

  • 1 tsp black peppercorns

  • ½ tsp coriander seeds

  • ½ tsp red chili flakes

  • 1 dried chili or fresh green chili (optional)

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1 small piece ginger (optional, but great)

👩‍🍳 Instructions

  1. Wash cucumbers well and trim ends.

  2. Pack cucumbers tightly into a clean glass jar.

  3. Add garlic, spices, chili, bay leaf, and ginger.

  4. In a pot, heat water, vinegar, salt, and sugar until dissolved (do not boil hard).

  5. Pour hot brine over cucumbers until fully submerged.

  6. Seal jar loosely, let cool, then refrigerate.

  7. Pickles are ready in 48–72 hours, but best after 5–7 days.

📌 Notes

  • Cloudy brine is normal with whole spices

  • Flavor gets stronger every day

  • Crunch improves if cucumbers are very fresh

💡 Tips

  • For EXTRA crunch: add a grape leaf or pinch of calcium chloride

  • Like it dirtier? Add more garlic + peppercorns

  • Label jars with dates—great for tracking progress

🍽 Servings

Makes: 1 large jar
Servings: 6–8 pickle lovers

🥗 Nutritional Info (Per Serving – Approx.)

  • Calories: 10–15 kcal

  • Fat: 0g

  • Carbs: 2g

  • Sugar: <1g

  • Sodium: Moderate (brined food)

🌿 Benefits

  • Supports gut health (especially if lightly fermented)

  • Low-calorie snack

  • Encourages creativity and routine

  • Homemade = no preservatives

❓ Q & A

Q: Can he sell these someday?
A: Absolutely—with proper food safety steps, this could be a real small business idea.

Q: How long do they last?
A: 2–3 weeks refrigerated, longer if vinegar-heavy.

Q: Can flavors be customized?
A: Yes! That’s the magic—each batch can be its own project.

Q: Are these fermented or vinegar pickles?
A: Vinegar-based, but can easily be adapted to fermentation.

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