We have created a monster. A dill pickle monster that can clean off a quart jar of pickles in a day, easily. I don't blame him, they are tasty, but keeping the pantry stocked with dill pickles is an annual task I actually enjoy!
I've been preserving pickles for a few years and although the task of filling the shelves seems daunting, dill pickles are a breeze and are a great beginner recipe when learning to preserve the harvest with the process of water bath canning.
Water bath canning is a way of processing high acid foods. Jars are filled with food, closed lightly, covered with water and boiled for a specific amount of time to safely preserve the food.
A secret to crispy pickles...
The night before you plan to pickle, place your clean cucumbers in a bowl of ice in the refrigerator. This ensures they are super cold, so they do not cook to thoroughly when processing. I believe I learned this trick from my grandmother and have had much success, and crispy pickles. However, we now live off the grid and ice is a luxury item...
How to Make Garlic Dill Pickles
Prepare your pint jars, rims and lids. Jars need to be boiled and hot before packing but your rims and lids should just be warm. Over boiling the seals on the lids can actually damage them leaving you in a pickle... get it?... Hah! I'm hilarious!
Bring your brine to a boil in a large pot:
6 cups of filtered water
2 cups of pickling or kosher salt
In each hot sterilized pint jar place:
one clove of garlic
one sprig of dill leaves or a dill flower head
10 peppercorns
Add your pickles, spears or slices to each pint jar and fill with brine, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
Wipe the rims of the jars to remove any residue and place a warm lid and rim, just finger tight.
Water bath process for at least 10 minutes depending on your altitude.
Let them sit for at least two weeks before enjoying them!
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