My first ever pickle jar

Little life snapshot

Tonight I finally did it: I bought a jar, sliced some cucumbers, and committed them to brine. It felt a bit like a science experiment and a bit like self-care — quiet kitchen, cutting board, vinegar smell, and the tiny thrill of making something that doesn’t need anyone else to approve of it.

I want this space to be where I keep track of these tiny projects: what I put in jars, how they turn out, and what was going on in my head at the time.

The recipe

Base idea: simple dill cucumber pickles, first attempt.

Ingredients (adjust to what you actually used later):

• 1 medium jar, cleaned
• 2–3 small cucumbers, sliced into spears or coins
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white vinegar (or mix with rice/apple cider vinegar)
• 1–1.5 tbsp salt (non-iodized)
• 1–2 tsp sugar (optional, for balance)
• Fresh dill sprigs
• 2–3 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
• Black peppercorns, red pepper flakes, or whatever felt right

Method (update this to what you actually did):

• Pack cucumbers, dill, garlic, and spices into the jar.
• Heat water, vinegar, salt, and sugar until the salt dissolves.
• Let the brine cool slightly, then pour over the cucumbers to cover.
• Tap out air bubbles, seal the jar, and put it in the fridge.
• Taste after 24–48 hours, then again after a few days.

Science note: what the salt is actually doing

At the simplest level, the salt in the brine is doing two big things:

• Osmosis: Salt outside the cucumber draws water out of the cells and lets flavorful brine move in. This is why the cucumbers shrink a little and start tasting like the brine.
• Microbe management: In certain ranges, salt helps suppress the less-fun microbes and gives an advantage to the ones we actually want, especially in fermented pickles.

It’s basically a tiny diffusion experiment in glass. Somewhere, my physics brain is quietly pleased.

Jar stats (first tasting)

Update these once you taste it:

Taste notes & what I’d change next time

Write a few lines here once you’ve actually tried them — what surprised you, what you loved, and what you’d tweak for Jar #2. This can be as nerdy or as emotional as you want.