Hi. I have six plants for pickling cukes and am getting enough for one pint per week. Annoying,yes. So I am adding the hot brine into a hot jar after cold packing the pickles, letting it cool, and putting it in the fridge. IT works but you need to eat them within three months. It just isn't worth firing up the canner for one jar. I am using a dill pickle mix that contains among other things, calcium chloride, aka "Pickle Crisp" If I pick a few but not quite enough for a jar, I wash them and remove the prickles and then store them in a ziplock with a few water droplets still on the cucumbers. Just before canning you very thinly slice off the blossom end as this contains an enzyme that softens the pickle. This year was just a test, next year I am planting three times as many. Enough of this piddling around. As for recipes, other members ought to be able to help you out there.

Agree with Trichcuit that next year you should plant more. I put in 40 plants. Thought my DH was going to giggle all season from his perceived "silliness" of me planting so many. But, as you found out (as he did), that there are never quite enough to make a batch of little ones for gherkins all at one time - a for sure "gotcha". The ones that got away became "real" sized cukes and were put in brine for his fav fermented dill pickles. He's eaten them all and perhaps will never, ever giggle again in my garden.

Nancy

Your question is a frequent one here and as the others have already said the answer is always "you need many more plants". Sorry. They just don't store well.

As to recipes, I linked some below and there is an Alton Brown Half-Sours recipe here too that you might like along with many other 'pickle recipes' that the search will pull up.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Pickle Recipes