Summer is in full swing and all of those beautiful vegetable plants that we started from seed in the spring are producing baskets full of produce. Especially the pickling cucumbers. If your garden is like ours you’re probably trying to find some creative ways of using all of them before they go bad. This recipe for {Grandpa’s} Half Sour Pickles is one that was handed down through the generations of our family and is definitely one of my favorite uses for all those beautiful cukes. 
I have so many fond memories of the times I spent visiting Grammie and Grandpa’s house. My grandfather was a lover of nature and was the best gardner I have ever seen. (My mom being a very close second. 🙂 Of course, she did learn from him.) Every year he would grow the most magnificent vegetables in a small garden that was in a long patch of earth beside his house. The sun beat down on this area all day long and the plants grew to mammoth sizes. I looked forward to when his pickling cucumbers were finally ready because I knew he and Grammie would be making their delicious half sour pickles. He talked about how he used to pickle cucumbers back in Lithuania with his grandfather when he was a little boy. They used to add an oak leaf to the jar to keep the pickles crisp. My mom and I decided to try this technique out and added one to ours. 
{Grandpa’s} Half Sour Pickles
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons Salt (or more if saltier flavor is desired) ,we use kosher pickling and canning salt
- 1 Tablespoon Vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons Pickling spices
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 3-4 Sprigs of dill
- 1-2 Leaves oak or grape, optional
- 1 Gallon Glass jar or crock
Instructions
- Wash cucumbers well and clean spikes and any left over stems off. (This is important so that it doesn't get cloudy.)
- If using an oak leaf...place on side of jar and then fill with cucumbers. Add garlic, dill, salt and spices.
- In a small bowl dissolve salt in a small amount of water and add vinegar.
- Pour into jar and fill jar with enough water so all cucumbers are covered.
- Set the jar on a table or counter for two days. **Important** Do not seal lid at this point!
- Lay lid on top of jar with a small space exposed so any gases can escape. (My mom made this mistake once many years ago and she said it exploded and made quite a mess.)
- After the two days out at room temperature the jar can be moved to the refrigerator at this point and cover may be sealed tight.
- The longer they sit the more flavorful the pickles will be.
- * Another tip for crisper pickles:Place cucumbers in a bowl of ice water for an hour before placing in jar!
Nutrition
Serve {Grandpa’s} Half Sour Pickles sliced in spears…
or cut in chips!
{Grandpa’s} Half Sour Pickles make a great side with Mom’s {Stuffed Meatloaf} and Potato Salad with Bacon.
I will be sharing this recipe at the following link parties:
Sweet and Savoury Sundays
There is nothing better than homegrown food! I didn’t plant any cucumbers this year but I am still thinking of buying some cucumbers from a local farm so I can make refrigerator pickles. The difference from store-bought pickles is amazing. Pinning.
Thanks for stopping by Suzy! Totally worth the trip to your local farm and so easy to make. My boyfriend even made them a couple of nights ago. We are looking forward to eating them tomorrow. Hope you enjoy my grandfather’s recipe as much as we do!
Your homemade pickles look delicious! I haven’t tried making any pickles for quite a while. But I’ve never found a recipe that I loved before either. I should try this one!
Thanks Julia! Hope you get to try them. They are very quick and easy to make and so delicious! They most time consuming part is cleaning them.
These look great Nicole! I’ve been looking for some new pickle recipes because have have such an abundance of cucumbers right now. I’m so glad I can across this recipe. Yum!
Thanks Shannon! I hope you enjoy them. I’ve made them a few times already this summer. So easy and delicious.
I love these kind of pickles, especially during the holidays with cold cuts of meat, delicious. This has been featured as one of my favourites over at Sweet and Savoury Sunday. Stop by, grab a button and link up again with us this week. Have a great day!
Thanks for the feature Laura!
I have never pickled or canned anything but I love pickles and I want to try this. I do have a (probably silly) question. When you finally move them to the refrigerator, is there anything special you have to do to seal them or do you simply twist the lid on?
Not a silly question at all Carrie! All you need to do is turn the lid to close as you would any other jar. I had never pickled anything before this either. Grammie and Grampa or my Mom always did it. But I figured I give it a try. It’s ridiculously easy! Can’t believe I had never done before. I can’t wait til our garden cucumber plants start producing!
Hi, how long will the pickles stay good once they are in the fridge? Thanks!
Hi Liz. A very long time. Since they are in vinegar, it creates an environment that is difficult for bacteria to grow in. If you search on the internet you’ll get different answers. You should be safe with at least a couple of months. You should be able to tell if they’re bad. They’ll be slimy and mushy. These never last more than a week or two around here because everyone loves them so much.
Can you cut the cucumbers first and then pickle them or do they have to be whole?
Yes Judy. You can cut them first. However, keep in mind they will become much more flavorful that way. If you keep them in the pickling liquid this way for too long, they run the risk of becoming too flavorful for your taste. If you plan on eating them quickly (within a week) you’d probably be ok. Grampa always pickled his whole and then sliced them after.
I’ve been looking for a good recipe for half-sour pickles. Thank you much! ~Sue
Thanks Sue! Glad you found it! Enjoy!
I’ve pickled lots of different veggies & this sound great. Is 1 TBSP correct or a misprint? Most pickling recipes I’ve used in the past used much more vinegar.
Hi Pat. Yes. One tablespoon. Some half sour pickle recipes don’t have any vinegar at all. Just water and the pickling spices. Dill pickles are pickled in a much larger amount of vinegar than half sour pickles. Hope you get to try these. They’re are so easy to make and sooo delicious! Enjoy!
You never said how much water to salt to vinegar to use
Hi Jay. Just getting back from vacation and saw your question. You just need 1 Tbsp. of vinegar and the rest of your “1 gallon jar” will be filled with water. The flavor in these pickles comes mostly from the spices not the vinegar. I start out by diluting the vinegar and salt in a little bit of water then add it to the jar and fill the rest of the jar with water just about to the top. Just like the photo. Hope that helps.
Hi Nicole,
White or apple cider vinegar, or wouldn’t it make a difference?
Thank you
Sheila
We’ve always used white vinegar. Apple cider vinegar will work too but may create a different flavor.