17th Century Recipe for Pickled Cucumbers

Photo by David Salafia on Flickr

With canning and preserving foods such big culinary trends these days, it's easy to forget these skills are actually quite old. Canning is centuries old, and preserving foods dates back to ancient times.

One example is this seventeenth-century recipe for pickled cucumbers. Although I strongly recommend you apply only USDA-recommended standards when you preserve foods ... I bet you'll find it interesting to see the similiarities of ingredients with our pickled cucumbers today.

Photo by Lori_NY of Flickr

To Pickle Cucumbers for Winter-Time

from The Compleat Cook, 1671

"Put [cucumbers] in an earthenware vessel: lay first a lay of salt and Dill, then a lay of Cucumbers, and so till they be all laid. Put in some Mace and whole Peppers, and some Fennel-Seed: then fill it up with Malt or Beer-vinegar: and put a clean board and a stone upon it to keep them within the pickle, and so keep them close covered."

Sounds rather delish, don't you think?

For more about canning and preserving, don't miss Nest in Style's podcast interview with Theresa Loe of Growing a Greener World. You can also enter to win a free copy of the book, Canning and Preserving Your Own Harvest.

More Help: National Center for Home Food Preservation

Meanwhile, how do you like to pickle cucumbers? What else do you like to preserve? Any good recipes? Share your ideas here...