Dill pickles without vinegar? The magic of lemon! Substitute fresh lemon juice for the vinegar and you have a pickle. I tried it with Joanne Lee Molinaro’s cucumber kimchi and I was surprised at how well it worked.

Today I made my favourite dill pickles with a lemon, water and salt brine; this accounts for the murky rather than clear brine in the photograph. Fingers crossed they turn out well. I shall report back in a week or so.

Dill Pickles

Ingredients

750grams - 1 kilogram of kirby of Lebanese mini cucumbers

6-8 cloves garlic, peeled and pounded with a pestle

handful of fresh dill

2 cups filtered water

2 cups fresh lemon juice

2 tbs grey sea salt

Method

Put a large pot of water to a boil with one or two large jars. Boil the jars for 5-10 minutes. Boil 2 to 3 jars depending on how many cucumbers you have. When the jars have boiled for a sufficient amount of time, remove them with tongs and place them on the counter to air dry. Turn off the water and place the lids in the water for several minutes. Remove and place the lids, insides facing up, to air dry.

Wash the cucumbers and lay out on a towel to dry. Prepare the garlic and wash the dill, spin and remove the stems. Divide the garlic and dill amongst the jars evenly. Place the cucumbers in the jars packing them tightly in. You can cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise or put them in whole or a combination of the two in order to best utilise the space.

Juice the lemons. Put the water and salt in a pot and bring to a boil. When boiling and the salt has fully dissolved, add the lemon juice and return to a boil. Then turn off the heat. Pour the brine over the cucumbers covering completely. Tightly seal the jars. Leave on the counter to cool to room temperature.

Store in the refrigerator. Leave for 1 week to allow the cucumbers to fully pickle.