After a long, slow start, our cucumber plants in the polytunnel have been producing this month and we’re now getting to the point where it is a challenge to keep up. So far we’ve done cold pickles – the sliced fruit are salted for 24 hours, rinsed and then immersed in a pickling liquid featuring vinegar, water, a little sugar and some pickling spices. That works well but these are ideally kept in the fridge and won’t last for a long time.

I think it might be time to look at making some hot pickles too. With the heat treatment part, the pickles won’t be as crunchy but they can be stored in a cupboard and we’ll still be able to safely pull them out and eat them in the depths of winter.