I love a good, crisp, spicy, dill pickle. Youngest Son used to eat them like candy. Two years ago we ran out of homemade pickles and had to resort to the grocery store variety. He was not pleased. Last year I made lots more pickles so that we would not run out. Then one day Youngest Son stopped eating them. Just like that. Here we are a year later and I still have four quarts of pickles on the shelf, so I decided not to make any this year. Cucumber season is pretty much over and now Youngest Son has decided that he likes pickles again! That left me scrambling to find enough pickling cucs for just one batch of pickles. It was not easy, but I triumphed.
7 pints of Dill Pickles. I could not find fresh dill this late in the season, but even with dried dill these pickles are better than the grocery store variety. This recipe is one I have been using for years and was adapted from my Grandma's recipe.
Spicy Dill Pickles
About 3 pounds of pickling cucumbers
4 cups white vinegar
4 cups water
4 tablespoons canning salt
2 tablespoons sugar
Fresh dill heads or 4 tablespoons dried dill
7 cloves of garlic
4 teaspoons of mustard seeds
4 teaspoons red hot chili flakes, or one whole small chili.
1. Wash the cucumbers very well. Cucumbers have an enzyme on their skin and if it is not removed it will cause your pickles to be soft.
2. Trim about ¼ inch from each end of the cucumber. If the blossom end of the pickle is left on, it will cause your pickles to be soft. I trim both ends just to be certain.
3. You can leave the cucumbers whole or slice, halve, or quarter them.
4. Combine vinegar, water, salt in sugar in a not reactive pot. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve salt and sugar.
5. Into the bottom of each jar place, one dill head or 1 ½ teaspoons dried dill, ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, fresh chili or ½ teaspoon chili flakes, and one clove of garlic. Top with cucumbers and pour hot vinegar liquid to within ½ inch of the top of the jar.
6. Seal and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes if putting up pints, 15 minutes for quarts.
Yield between 6-8 pints.
This looks yummy. I might have to try pickles next year.
Posted by: Patty | October 19, 2011 at 07:40 PM