Pickling




Making pickles is an excellent day project for late August when cucumbers are plentiful. With kitchen cleaning time, expect a 4-6 hour project for a dozen quarts.

DILL PICKLE RECIPE
(makes 3 quarts)
6-8 cucumbers, depending on the cut
2 quarts water
1 quart vinegar
1/2 cup salt
6 sprigs dill
6 cloves garlic, crushed with side of knife handle

Step 1: Clean
To avoid botulism it's very important to have clean surfaces. I washed the entire kitchen with bleach water.

Step 2: Veggie prep
Our garden did give us a season of fantastic cucumbers, however there were never enough at one time to undertake such a big project. So we supplemented with cucumbers from our neighborhood farmer's market. Look for canning-sized cucumbers. Small, green/yellow cucumbers are preferred. We opted for a variety of cucumber cuts: whole, spears, and whole with ends cut off. Wash the cucumbers and cut them as desired. Wash the fresh dill and cut into individual sprigs. Peel the garlic and crush the individual cloves with the side of the knife handle.

Step 3: Canning liquid
Combine the salt, vinegar, and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil.

Step 4: Prep canning jars
Wash the lids with warm soapy water. Boil the jars and rings for at least 3 minutes each. The boiling of the jars needs to be timed with the boiling canning liquid.

Step 5: Fill jars
Fill a freshly boiled (still hot) jar with cucumbers, 2 garlic cloves, and 2 sprigs of dill. Cover with boiling canning liquid to fill line. Place lid on top and tighten the ring. Set the jar aside and wait for the satisfying pop of the lid. Continue this process until all jars are filled. Lids should pop closed within the hour. Group the hot jars together, as they need the heat to seal. Let the jars cool over night.

Step 6: Final check

Just to avoid sickness, check that all the lids sealed. If the lid is not popped, it didn't work and should be discarded. For those that did seal, loosen the rings slightly (or remove altogether, if you prefer) and store the pickles for 6 weeks in a cool, dry place.

Six weeks later - enjoy!

Helpful hints: we placed a cotton dish towel at the bottom of the boiling water to help cushion the jars as they boiled and we removed the jars and rings from the boiling water with metal bbq tongs.

Big thanks to Annie and Christa for the pickles. And another one to Annie for the post.