Pickles are the main reason I planted cucumber and dill in my garden this year. Dill pickles were, of course, at the top of my list to make. With a variety of uses, including homemade tartar sauce, these pickles are a classic pantry staple.
This recipe makes three cups of brine and 2-quart jars of pickles. The amount of brine needed may vary depending on the size or shape of your jars and the number of cucumbers in the jar. To determine how much brine you will need, pack cut cucumber in jars and fill with water. Drain the water into a measuring cup. The amount of water in the cup will be the amount of brine needed. Then, simply adjust the recipe to that amount.
For dill pickles, I prefer to make long spears that fill the jars. Now, cucumbers don’t usually grow according to the size of my jars! So, I hold the cucumber next to my jar, measure the length needed and cut off the excess. The excess from this batch I sliced for bread and butter pickles.
The cucumbers will take about a week to get fully pickled. Unless the pickles are being canned, they must be kept in the refrigerator. The flavors will intensify as they sit and will be better (if you can wait that long) after two weeks.
Dillicious Pickles
Ingredients
- 4-5 cucumbers
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 cup water
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 4 sprigs dill divided
- 1/2 tsp chili flake divided
- 1 tsp black peppercorn divided
- 1/2 tsp dill seed divided
- 2 garlic cloves divided
- 1/2 tsp celery seed divided
- 1/2 tsp coriander seed divided
Instructions
- Divide the herbs and spices between two quart size jars.
- Combine vinegar, water, salt, and sugar. Boil until salt and sugar have dissolved.
- Slice cucumbers and place in the jars. Pour hot liquid into jars, completely covering the cucumber. Cool to room temperature before refrigerating.
