Homemade Dill Pickles

We all eagerly await pickle season, there is nothing like the crispy crunchy tangy dilly taste of a fresh dill pickle!! This year, unbeknownst to us, we planted English cucumbers. Not good for pickles at all! So we have to rely on our local farmer's market for our cucumbers.

The best way to make crispy pickles is to put the cucumbers on ice for half an hour before canning. And even though the "official" sources can't recommend it, it is best to not hot water can your pickles. They get soggy and who wants soggy pickles?!

After you have your jars sterilized and hot and all ingredients are ready, it is time to start packing!



Start with a few springs of fresh dill and 2-3 cloves of garlic in the bottom of the jar. Pack in as many cold cucumbers that will fit, place more dill and more garlic on top and pour hot vinegar/water/salt brine over everything. Then quickly place hot lids on jars and screw rings on tight.


All done and ready to cool! Now comes the hard part...... waiting for the cucumbers to turn into pickles!! And trying not to eat them all in one month!

Pickle Brine Recipe
 6 cups of water
3 cups of vinegar
1/2 cup canning salt
1/2 tsp alum
Makes enough for 4-5 quart jars.
(We are always on the hunt for the perfect pickle recipe, this one is our current favorite.)

Word to the wise: Quart jars take a lot longer to seal then pint jars!! In other words, You have to be more patience with pickles then with jam to hear the tops pop. In other words, One doesn't need to panic after 30-40 minutes if they haven't popped, there is no need to dump them all out and re-heat the jars and brine thinking that it wasn't hot enough. Yes, it is true, we have done that too!