Nutritious nibbles: Baba’s sweet and Dido’s sour prairie pickles

By: Sarah Sorochuk, Peak Associate

My grandmother (Baba) is a spectacular homecook who runs her home kitchen she calls “Pat’s Diner.” All her kids and grandkids know when we go to Pat’s Diner, we’ll always enjoy ourselves. It’s time to bring one of her specialties to light — pickles! 

Perfect for charcuterie boards, both my grandparents have a recipe. It has become tradition for my grandmother to make two batches: Baba’s sweet (garlic dill) pickles, and Dido’s sour (cloudy dill) pickles, with both being served on the same dish. You’ll need to taste it as words don’t do the flavours justice. Like all specialty recipes passed down through generations, there are no exact measurements. One thing she is very insistent on for both recipes is that the cucumbers should be straight and roughly three inches in length. 

Baba’s sweet (garlic dill) pickles

Ingredients (makes 1 quart jar):

• Cucumbers
• Dill weed
• Garlic (approximately 3 or 4 pieces)
• Peeled raw carrot (approximately 4 or 5 small pieces)
• Pickling spice (approximately ½ to ¾ tsp) 
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon coarse pickling salt
• Canner to help with pickling

Brine (makes 5 cups):

• 4 cups water
• 1 cup vinegar

Directions:

1. Wash cucumbers and dill weed. Cut off the ends of the cucumbers so they will fit in the jars.
2. Peel carrots and garlic, chopping carrots into small sticks, roughly the size of your index finger.
3. Place three or four pieces of garlic, some dill weed, and four or five carrot pieces at the bottom of the jar with pickling spice.
4. Fill the jar with cucumbers. Add brown sugar and pickling salt on top.
5. Bring 1 cup vinegar and 4 cups water to a boil.
6. Pour brine over the sugar and salt. Add additional dill weed to cover cucumbers.
7. Seal tightly! Shake each jar to dissolve sugar and salt.
8. Place jars in a canner. Jars should be completely covered by warm water to process. The water should be warm but not boiling. Leave jars in the warm bath for approximately 15 minutes. The pickles will turn yellow when finished.
9. Remove jars from the canner and tighten lids on jars. Check for leakage during the cooling process and store in a cool place.

Since these pickles use a canner, they have a longer shelf life if stored in a cool place. It’s best to wait at least a week before opening them to ensure they are yellow and taste sweet enough. When putting them out to be eaten, my grandma cuts the pickles into thin slices to differentiate them.

Dido’s sour (cloudy dill) pickles

Ingredients (makes 1 quart jar):

• Cucumbers
• Dill weed
• Garlic (approximately 5 or 6 pieces)
• 1 tablespoon coarse pickling salt

Directions:

1. Boil water the day before so that it is room temperature and sterile when ready to make the pickles. 
2. Wash cucumbers and dill weed, cutting off the ends of the cucumbers so they will fit in the jars.
3. Place some dill weed and five or six pieces of garlic at the bottom of each jar.
4. Pack the jar tightly with cucumbers, making sure they are on top of the garlic pieces, cutting them at the neck of the jar. Add pickling salt on top of cucumbers.
5. Pour cooled boiled water into jars to cover the cucumbers. Seal the jars and shake to dissolve salt.
6. Check for leakage and ensure the seal of the jars. Store in a cool place for upwards of three weeks.

These pickles need far longer to set, as they are fermented rather than pickled. Fermented pickles are more risky to make since sometimes the odd jar goes bad. The littlest bit of air seeping into the jar can cause mold. Even so, this pickle recipe is an all-time favourite in my household! My father adds the juice to his caesars, garnishing it with caesar rimmer, lime wedges, celery, pickles, and whatever makes your heart content. It’s a Sorochuk specialty!