These tangy dill pickles are a delicious snack or sandwich topping.
Ingredients
- 8 lbs pickling cucumbers, washed and halved or quartered lengthwise
- 8 litres of water
- ¾ cup canning and pickling salt (not table salt)
PICKLING SOLUTION
- 6 cups (1.5 L) vinegar (5% acidity)
- ½ cup (125 ml) canning and pickling salt
- ¼ cup (60 ml) sugar
- 8 cups (2 L) water
- 2 tbsp. (30 ml) whole mixed pickling spice
- 3 - 4 tsp. (15 - 20 ml) whole mustard seed (1 tsp. (5 ml) per pint jar)
- 10 - 12 fresh dill sprigs (1 sprig per pint jar)
- 1 - 2 garlic cloves, peeled, per pint jar (optional)
- Cheesecloth bag
Preparation
- Place the washed and cut cucumbers in a large bowl.
- Prepare brine by dissolving ¾ cup salt in 8 L of water.
- Pour over cucumbers, cover and let stand 12 hours. Drain.
- Prepare pickling solution of vinegar, ½ cup salt, sugar and 2 quarts water in a large saucepan.
- Add mixed pickling spices tied in a clean cheesecloth bag.
- Heat to boiling.
- Remove the spice bag.
- Pack cucumber into clean, hot pint or quart jars, leaving ½ -inch head-space.
- If desired, add 1 teaspoon mustard seed, 1 fresh dill sprig and 1 or 2 garlic cloves per jar.
- Cover cucumbers with hot pickling solution, leaving ½ -inch headspace.
- Remove bubbles with a rubber spatula. Wipe jar rims clean with a damp cloth.
- Cap jars with pre-treated lids. Adjust lids and process. Process jars in a boiling water canner: 15 minutes for pints, 20 minutes for quarts.
Yield: 7 to 9 pints