Garlic Dill Pickles

About this Recipe

Here is how I personally feel about pickles and THIS dill pickle recipe in particular.

Note - my sentiments are the ones in bold:

From: (The Little Rascals' Movie 1994)

“Do you like pickles?”

I think they stink.

“I love pickles!”

My Mama makes me eat ‘em.

“I’m crazy about ‘em.”

I’ll sell you my pickle for a nickle.

“How ‘bout two cents!”

O’tay.

“I have two pickles, I have two pickles, I have two pickles today, hey hey!”

Grandmother's Dill Pickle Recipe TIPS BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

1. You MUST sterilize your jars before any kind of canning recipe. Sterilizing from start to finish for a batch this size will take about 30-40-minutes so factwe recommend Grandmother's Kitchen helpful post on How to Sterilize Canning Jars.

2. Choose baby cucumber if you can find them, for some reason they are just our family and friend favorite (am thinking of you Maya!).

3. If this is the first time attempting a dill pickle recipe or any canning recipe for that matter, put on some chill music, take a deep breath and bring your mind into a relaxed good feeling place so you can enjoy the process.

4. I highly recommend reading through the instructions (or watching the How-To Make Dill Pickles video) so you can get an idea of the order of things before you begin.

5. Note - there are different strengths of garlic and so the type and amount you use will really make a difference on how much garlic flavor is in the final dill pickle jar.

6. Check out this shopping link if you are looking for where to shop for Canning Supplies like the size that we like to use for pickling jars. There are many many kinds of canning supplies and canning jars, and there is no ‘right or wrong’ for what size you choose - it will be a personal preference of what size dill pickle jar you like in the fridge.

7. Use the smallest pickling cucumbers you can find. The strength and amount of garlic that you choose to put into the jars will influence how ‘garlicky’ the pickles will taste.

8. With larger cucumbers you may need to cut them or slice them to fit them into the jars.


Ingredients

(Print)

Makes: 6-8 pint jars or 4 quart jars

5 lbs pickling cucumbers

6 cups water

4 cups white vinegar

1/2 cup pickling salt

1 large bunch of fresh dill

8 large cloves of garlic

Directions

1. Clean the canning jars. (Click here for How to Sterilize Canning Jars)

2. Fill a sink or large bowl with cold water and place cucumbers in water. Add 1/4 cup of white vinegar or a natural vegetable cleaner. (*We use Young Living Thieves Cleaner for a : natural fruit and veggie cleaner

3. Gentle wash any dirt and residue off your cucumbers. Rinse cucumbers.

4. Pierce each cucumber with a sharp knife before putting it into the jar.

5. Peel the garlic and chop it into halves if it is very large.

6. Wash your hands well and place 2 cloves of garlic and a sprig or 2 of dill in the bottom of each clean jar. Use 2 cloves for a stronger garlic flavor.

7. Tightly pack all your clean jars with washed cucumbers.

8. To make the brine - in a large pot add the water, vinegar and pickling salt and bring to a boil for 1 minute.

9. Use a glass measuring cup to scoop and pour the boiling brine into the stuffed jars leaving one quarter inch head space in each jar. Add lid and ring to each jar, tightening evenly.

10. Carefully place the filled jars into canner and add just enough hot water to cover the jars.

11. Place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil. Process for 10 minutes, start timing after the water has reached a boil.

12. Shut off and use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a clean thick towel on the counter and let them stand for 24 hours to cool. The lids will make a pop noise as they cool, this is the jar sealing.

13. Any jars that do not seal should be refrigerated.

14. Wait at least 3 weeks before opening so the flavors will develop.

ENJOY!

Return to this Garlic Dill Pickles recipe or check out more recipes at Grandmother's Kitchen

If you've never tried making a dill pickle recipe before, you are in for a treat. A homemade dill pickle recipe is something you can feel good about making, and it's a great way to enjoy the summer harvest of baby cucumbers all year long.

If you are lucky enough to find some baby cucumbers where you live, or better yet, you've grown them yourself, you'll want to take advantage and make this recipe right away. Homemade dill pickles also make a nice gift, and after you make them once, you will be sure to make them again and again.

The pickling cucumbers, of course, are the main ingredient in this dill pickle recipe, but just as important as the pickling cucumbers are the garlic that you will use in the pickle recipe.

A good tip to remember is that there are several different kinds of garlic available in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors and tastes. Depending on the variety of garlic you choose it will have different pungency and storability. If you prefer your dill pickle recipe to have more of a garlic taste, you'll want to use garlic with lots of flavor. Maybe you already have a favorite variety of garlic you use.

Once you've decided which variety of garlic that you will use in your dill pickle recipe, you'll want to consider the following tips to help find the perfect bulb. When selecting garlic bulbs for your pickle recipe make sure they are completely dry, choose garlic bulbs whose cloves are both firm and plump (you can do this be giving the garlic a slight squeeze), and look for garlic that has plenty of papery sheath. You want to avoid soft or crumbly garlic cloves, spongy or shrivelled garlic cloves and bulbs or garlic cloves that have green shoots as this could mean they are past their prime and will have a weaker flavor. Once you have all your ingredients together, you can go about getting all of your canning supplies and canning jars.



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