Monday, August 30, 2010

Grandmother's Dill Pickles

We went to the farmers market over in Cheyenne on Saturday.  Among the many veggies that I bought was a case of pickling cucumbers and a monstrous bunch of fresh dill.  They called to be canned.  So can we did!  28 quarts of my husbands grandmother's dill pickle recipe.  We also did some refrigerator bread & butter pickles and some refrigerator dill pickles.  I can't wait for the 4 to 6 weeks to pass to give the canned pickles a try!  I am very glad that I did some quick refrigerator pickles to get us through.


Grandmother's Dill Pickles

Sort through your very fresh pickling cucumbers and discard any that are limp or less than fresh.
Place the pickling cucumbers in a large cooler and top with plenty of ice and water.
Allow to "chill" for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
Sterilize your jars and prepare your canning pot and other canning essentials.

In the bottom of each quart jar add the following:
1 tbs sugar
1 fresh dill head or 1 tsp dried dill seed
2 or 3 garlic cloves
1 small fresh hot pepper (if desired)
Next pack the jar full of fresh pickling cucumbers.  Feel free to 1/2 or 1/4 the pickles as necessary to pack the jar tightly.
You may also do slices of pickling cucumbers if desired.
Add 1 tbs of canning salt and a pinch of alum to the top of each jar.
Bring 2 quarts of vinegar and 3 quarts of water to a boil.
Pour the boiling brine into the jars.
Wipe the rim of each jar with a paper towel then top with a warmed canning lid and ring.
Finger tighten the ring.
Water bath process for 10 minutes adjusting as necessary for your altitude.
Cool and check for proper seal.
Allow to sit in a cool, dark, dry spot for at least 4 weeks before sampling.

3 comments:

  1. Oh, YUMMY! Can you just send me a bunch of jars so I don't have to make them myself????!

    Well, it doesn't hurt to ask, right? ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. ooo those look delicious. I can imagine you'll be enjoying them until next spring.

    ReplyDelete
  3. They look beautiful! That is a lot of pickles. I hope you enjoy them all year long.

    ReplyDelete

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