Swedish Cucumbers – Crisp, tangy-sweet and ready to eat today!
Swedish Cucumbers – crisp, tangy-sweet and ready to eat in less than a day!
Some things just shout summer to me: when I was a little girl, come pickling season, I could always count on finding a jar of Swedish Cucumbers in my Auntie’s refrigerator – crisp, tangy-sweet and ready-to-eat months before the first lid came off the first jar of dills. When I grew up and my culinary opportunities expanded, I soon learned that the Swedes did not have a corner on the marinated cucumber market – Swedish Cucumbers taste suspiciously like the cucumber salad that is often served with Thai food. (Although the Thai version is usually somewhat sweeter.) Nevertheless, while I don’t know about any historical ties between Scandinavia and Siam, I do know that whatever you call these lovely cukes, they are a wonderful addition to any meal.
For the record, my Auntie (who turned 91 this month!) still enjoys a jar now and then.
Swedish Cucumbers
Ingredients
- 2 - 3 large cucumbers thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp salt
- 5 whole allspice
Instructions
- Combine water, sugar, vinegar, allspice and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and heat until sugar has dissolved.
- Arrange sliced cucumbers in a quart jar. Pour liquid over. Put a lid on the jar and refrigerate at least until liquid has cooled, preferably overnight.
These look delicious! I love pickled cucumbers and your recipe seems easy to make! I’m excited to try making this one at home. I’ll report back with how it turned out and hopefully its as delicious as you mention! Thank you so much for sharing!
These pickles look delicious. I saw another recipe where they put the cucumbers into the salt first for a couple of hours to get rid of some of the water in them.
Do you think that’s not necessary?
Thank you, Pascal! Over the years, I’ve made these pickles both ways, and in my experience, the only thing salting seems to do is make the cucumbers, in equal parts, the tiniest bit more soggy and briny. Since I prefer my pickles on the crisp side, I no longer ever salt them. Also, one of the things I really like about this cold pickle preparation is that you retain some of that fresh cucumber flavor. I think the additional salt detracts from that flavor as opposed to adding to it.