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The Art of Making Homemade Dill Pickles

Dill Pickles
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This recipe makes six-quart jars of crunchy cucumbers brined in vinegar, garlic, and dill for tangy, flavorful homemade dill pickles.

Ingredients

Units Scale

6 pounds of pickling cucumbers

Brine

  • 12 cups Water
  • 6 cups White vinegar
  • 6 TBSP pickling salt

Spices

  • 1 TBSP dill seed (if using fresh dill, use four heads)
  • 8 Whole black peppercorns
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 1/2 TSP Mustard seed
  • 1/4 TSP of Pickle crisp

**Optional

  • 1 Clove garlic
  • 1/2 TSP Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1 Jalapeno

Instructions

  1.   Measure out six pounds of cucumbers.
  2.  Wash the cucumbers thoroughly and trim off a small portion of each end.
  3.  In a large pot, combine water, vinegar, and pickling salt. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally until the salt dissolves completely. 
  4.  Prepare your canning jars by washing them with warm soapy water or run them through the dishwasher before this process. 
  5. Sterilize the jars and their lids by placing them in your water canner bath pot of boiling water for a few minutes. Remove jars to be packed.
  6. Pack the jars.  Add the dill seed, black peppercorns, and bay leaf to the jar, and then pack the sterilized jars tightly with the cucumber spears or chips. Add a few sprigs of fresh dill and any other optional ingredients you desire. Add the pickle crips.  Fill the jars almost to the top, leaving a little headspace for the brine.
  7. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean cloth to remove any spills or residue. Place the sterilized lids on top and screw on the bands until they are snug but not overly tight. 
  8. Place all jars back into the water canner bath.  There should be one to two inches of water above the jars.
  9. Have water come to a boil.  After the water is boiling, then you start the timer.  Let it boil for 10 minutes.  This is required to create a proper seal. 
  10. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Remove jars and let them sit for 24 hours. This gives the jars time to seal and cool off.
  11. Wait at least two weeks to eat.  

Notes

The longer you store your dill pickles the stronger the taste.  Most recommend waiting two weeks, I wait at least four weeks.

Pickle crisp can be bought premade at most stores that sell canning supplies.

Find it online: https://www.thekindredway.com/the-art-of-making-homemade-dill-pickles/