Crunchy Garlic Dills

 
Here it is . . the pickle recipe many of you asked for. It’s the one my grandma always used.  I only had enough cucumbers for a small batch, filling three pint-sized (16 oz.) jars, so these were the amounts I used for that, but you can easily increase the ingredients to suit your needs.

 

Crunchy Garlic Dills 

2 lbs. pickling cucumbers, rinsed & sliced or left whole

3 large cloves garlic, peeled & cut in half

6 sprigs dill leaves

6 dill flower heads (closed)

 

Brine 

3 cups water

1 cup distilled white vinegar

¼ cup pickling salt

 

• In a large bowl or the kitchen sink; soak cukes in icy cold water for about two hours. Add ice cubes as needed—this will insure a crisp pickle.  In the meantime, sterilize 3 pint-sized jars in boiling water, or in the dishwasher if you have a sterilize setting.  (I use the boiling water method because you will process these in the same pot later, and it's faster than waiting for the dishwasher to cycle through.) 

• Turn off heat and remove jars from hot water.  Put in the rims and lids to soak along with a butter knife.  You don’t need to boil them.  Divide the garlic and dill (by the number of jars), and place half of it in the sterilized jars, followed by the cucumbers.  Pack them tight.  Add the rest of the garlic and dill.

• Combine the water, vinegar, and salt in a large pot and bring to a rapid boil.  Fill jars with enough hot brine to cover cucumbers (about ¼” from the top).  Use the sterilized butter knife to poke into the jars to release any bubbles. Wipe jar rims with a paper towel or fresh dishtowel.  Remove lids and rims from hot water, dry them, and place on jars immediately.  Screw lids down tight.

• Carefully place the sealed jars back in the pot of hot water, and bring it back to a boil.  Process pint jars for 10 minutes in boiling water.  Remove them; cool at room temperature.  The lids will invert and “pop” after about 15-20 minutes if you have done this successfully.  If the lids fail to seal, you will have to store them in the refrigerator.  (Always use new lids, don’t re-use them.)

Store pickles for at least 8 weeks before eating so the flavors can develop.  Keep in the fridge after opening as you would any canned food.  Pickles will keep up to two years in a cool dry place. 

Now go make pickles!

Comments

[Jeanne]

Ah there you are
Thanks for posting this recipe.
Love and hugs and blessings
Love Jeanne ^j^

[Nancy]

DH made pickles when we were early marrieds. We didn't know you were supposed to wait 8 weeks before eating. They were SO awful! But because he had made so many, some of the jars were stuck way back in the shelf. A year and a half later when we moved, we found them and tried them. Guess what???They were FABULOUS! This brings back wonderful memories. Thank you!

[Kristin]

You officially have my mouth watering. :)

[lily boot]

Oops! At first I thought the title of this post read, Crunchy Garlic Dolls! Goodness, I thought, this will be amazing - must be some kind of edible, savoury doll :-) Dills sound much better! Can't wait to try it :-)

[Sue]

OOOh! Thank you! I just aquired a boatload of cucumbers from a friend. I didn't know the part about soaking them in ice water for crispness! I can't wait to try this. In addition to canning, we will be blueberry picking today too!

[farmgirlinnewmex]

yumm, these look delish! Will make these a Sunday afternoon project or back to school project!

[Wonders Never Cease]

Yummy! And your labels are so cute!
I'm craving pickles and I have no excuse!
Becky

[Beverly]

Looks delish! Where can i get dill flower heads! I have never seen this around here and could I sub more dill sprigs instead if I can't find it?

[Cathy Santarsiero]

Thanks for the recipe. Love the pickle jar tops, too! Have a happy weekend. Cat ^..^

[Kittyboo]

Mmmmm, thanks for the recipe - looks delicious. I'm on a bit of a preserving bent of late so hope to give this a try. I love how you've done the jar tops too.

[Stitching Spain]

Mmmmm, Can't wait to try making these! Thanks for the recipe.

[Rosa]

Thank you for the recipe. I tried half sours last year, but they didn't turn out as good as what I buy. Grumble. I'm going to try your dills. They look scrumptious!

[Karen]

Thanks for the recipe! I've been trying to find one with more crunch! Mine taste great, but are kinda soft. I didn't want to add alum, and wondered about lime, so hopefully I can make your recipe and get a crunchy one! Thanks, Karen