I’m sharing this recipe mostly for myself—to remember how to make pickles the way my mom taught me. After all these years, I finally got around to trying it out, and I have to say, I’m pretty proud of the results!
I’m not exactly sure how many cucumbers I ended up pickling, but I managed to fill 11 Weck jars, each with a capacity of 1700ml. That’s a lot of pickles! 😄
The recipe below is mainly for the brine that covers the cucumbers and the aromatics that add that perfect punch of flavor. I ended up needing about 8 liters of liquid and used a generous amount of pepper and garlic. (Seriously, you can never have too much garlic, right?)
Mom's Classic Pickles
Waterbath canning
Ingredients
- For brine you will need:
- 1 liter of water (if using 9% vineger then 895ml water)
- 1 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp 70% vinegar essence OR 8 tbps 9% vinegar
- 1 small bay leave
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 4 whole all spice
- 5 whole black peper
- 3 whole cloves
- 3 blackcurrant leaves
- 1/3 horsradish leave
- 2 cherry leaves
Aromatics for each 1,7l WECK jar
A basket full of cucumbers 🙂
Directions
- Prepare the water bath canner: Heat the canner to 75°C (167°F) to get it ready.
- Wash and dry the cucumbers: Rinse the cucumbers thoroughly and allow them to air dry.
- Pack the jars with aromatics: Place your desired aromatics at the bottom of each jar.
- Pack the cucumbers into jars: Firmly pack the cucumbers into the jars. Don’t be afraid to gently press in those that seem like they might not fit!
- Make the brine: Bring water, salt, and sugar to a boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar essence.
- Fill the jars with brine: Pour the hot brine over the cucumbers in the jars, ensuring they are fully submerged. Secure the lids on each jar.
- Process in the water bath canner: Carefully place the jars in the preheated water bath canner and process for 7 to 9 minutes, until the cucumbers turn a vibrant olive green.
This was also my first time using the water bath canning method. I’ve always been a bit intimidated by the process, but it turns out it’s not as tricky as I thought! It felt good knowing that the pickles are properly sealed and should stay fresh for a good while—if they last that long in our house, that is! Latvians do love pickles!
Now, the hard part—waiting! Mom said I should give the pickles about two weeks to really soak in all the flavors and become the delicious pickles I remember from my childhood. Moms are always right, aren’t they? So, here I am, counting down the days until I can finally taste them.
I hope this recipe serves as a handy reminder for the next time I feel like pickling a mountain of cucumbers. And who knows? Maybe it’ll inspire some of you to try your hand at pickling too!
Happy pickling! 🥒
Ilze
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a day in the life of a latvian mom 
I always enjoy the food when I visit Latvia, it tastes so good and natural. Really love big indoor market in Riga. My mum was brought up on a farm not far from Madona, she was a really good cook.
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It’s simple, sometimes just salt and pepper, but as you said – it’s natural!
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That is a lot of pickles your pretty pickers picked. I agree with you about garlic. Enjoy the produce
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Thank you. We have to wait for one more week! It’s the hardest part. Do you like pickles?
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I do.
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We simply can’t live without them—definitely a must-have! But we’ve never tried pickled eggs before. Have you? I’d love to know what you think!
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I never have. They are often sold in fish and chip shops
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