Blue Ribbon Dill Pickles

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Crunchy, zesty and a real crowd-pleaser, this is a classic dill pickle. It can be eaten after a 24 hour waiting period, but will continue to become more flavorful with time, especially if you add peppers and/or garlic to the brine.

 Makes 4 quarts

•  Approx. 3 dozen medium sized pickling cucumbers, gently scrubbed clean
  
• 4 clusters fresh flowering dill heads
• 8 peeled garlic cloves (optional: more or less as desired)
• 4 hot peppers (optional: more or less as desired)
• 3 cups distilled white vinegar
• 3 cups water
• 6 TBS "canning & pickling" salt* (or less as desired)
• 1 tsp dill seed
• 1 tsp yellow mustard seed
• 1 tsp brown mustard seed (optional)

1.) Into each clean** wide-mouth quart jar, put one (or more) hot peppers, plus one cluster of fresh dill, and 2 (or more) garlic cloves.

2.) Trim off 1/8”-1/4” of the blossom end***, and pack into jars (atop garlic, dill and peppers.)

3.) In a pan, combine vinegar, water, dill seeds and mustard seeds. Bring to a boil, and then pour over cucumbers, leaving ½” head space.

4.) Seal with sterilized lids according to manufacturer’s instructions.

5.) Process in a Boiling Water Bath Canner for 10 minutes.

6.) Remove from BWB canner using tongs and let the jars sit on the counter -- undisturbed -- for 24 hours. Test seals by pushing down on the center of the lid. If it flexes up & down, it is not sealed. If it stays down, the seal was successful.

7.) If jars lid seals it will easily keep for one year in a cool, dark place. If jar doesn't seal, place it in your refrigerator and eat within 3 months, and within one month after opening. 

* If you'd like, you can cut the salt in half; the pickles will still be delicious. We just like ours this way, and sodium isn't an issue in our family.

**Some canning guidelines state that it is unnecessary to sterilize the jars if they are going to be processed for 10 OR MORE minutes in a boiling water bath.

***It is important to trim off the blossom end, as it contains enzymes that can make pickles undesirably soft.

Comments

[Sue]

It's pickle day! Can't wait to try these. Brook - what's your preferred hot pepper?

[Brook Hurst Stephens]

Sue -

I'm curious to hear how your pickles turned out.

As for my favorite hot peppers...well...it kind of depends what looks good at the market or what I've got growing in the garden. I really loved these tiny Apache Peppers that I grew one year. They look pretty cute in the jar and they weren't TOO hot either. If I use any other kind of pepper, like Jalapenos, Serrano, Thai birds' eye, or Fresno, I usually just add one. The pickles get hotter the longer they sit, and I learned the hard way that even if one pepper doesn't seem like a lot, it usually ends up being plenty.

Now I'm hungry for a slightly spicy dill pickle....