Last week, we opened our last jar of homemade dill pickles. We had been coveting that last quart, hidden away on the back of the shelf in the pantry. It actually gave me a little anxiety. To open the final jar from last year’s harvest before the current harvest of cucumbers is ready for canning of our Garlic Dill Pickles.
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Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long for those cucumbers. In early August (at least in the Finger Lakes), the little bitty pickling cucumbers become available. And, we immediately go about preparing them for dill pickle-y goodness all through the year.
If you have poked around here on The Semiconservative Granola Girl site, you may have come across our love of dill pickles in other forms. We use ALL of the dilly deliciousness by brining chicken for the electric smoker (Dill Pickle Smoked Chicken Thighs) or for cooking in the slow cooker (Crock Pot Dill Pickle Chicken) or for sauce (Dill Pickle Barbecue Sauce). This is the source of all of those other recipes.
Preparation
To get good crunchy pickles, you will need to plan ahead a little. The night before you are planning to actually pickle the cukes, you will need to wash, trim and soak them in a cold, salt water solution. I try to find small cucumbers for pickling because to me, the key to a crunchy homemade pickle is to keep them whole. No spears here.
Garlic Dill Pickles
On Day two, drain the cucumbers and rinse them. Then, prepare the jars, I like to use wide mouth quart and pint jars because they are easier to stuff with the pickles.
While the jars are sterilizing in the canner, you can make the vinegar solution of white vinegar, pickling salt and water. Bring that to a boil.
Remove the hot jars from the canner. To each add garlic cloves and dill seeds. Pack the jars tightly with the cucumbers. Pour the vinegar solution over the cukes. Be sure to leave a 1/2 inch of head space. Then process. Easy Peasy.
Allow the jars to cool and then store them in a cool dark location. The longer they sit, the more that dill flavor has a chance to infuse. Wait at least two weeks before eating. Pickles can be stored for at least a year and a half as long as the seal is good.
For more ways that you can preserve the harvest, check out my Preserving the Harvest Page.
Garlic Dill Pickles
Equipment
- canner (or large pot with lid)
- widemouth quart and/or pint jars
- 2 part canning lids
Ingredients
Overnight Brine
- 3-4 pounds small pickling cucumbers
- 1 gallon water
- 1/2 cup pickling salt
Garlic Dill Pickles
- 4 cups white vinegar
- 4 cups water
- 4 tbsp dill seeds
- 24 cloves garlic
Instructions
Brine Cucumbers
- Prepare the cucumbers by washing them, removing any spines and trimming a small slice off of each end.
- Place cucumbers in a large stainless steel pot.
- Combine salt and 4 cups of warm water. Stir until the salt is dissolved. Add 12 cups of ice water (or 8 cups of cold water and 5 cups of ice). Pour over cucumbers.
- Let stand for 12 hours or overnight in the refrigerator or other cool place.
- Rinse thoroughly with cold water.
Garlic Dill Pickles
- Prepare canning jars by sterilizing them in a hot water bath.
- Combine vinegar, 4 cups water and 4 tablespoons of pickling salt in a large stainless steel pot and bring to a boil.
- Remove jars from the canner. To each quart, jar add 6 cloves of garlic and 1 tablespoon of dill seed. (To each pint jar, add 3 cloves of garlic and 1½ tsps dill seed.)
- Pack the jars tightly with cucumbers. Pour boiling vinegar mixture over cucumbers. Leave ½ inch of head space.
- Process quart jars for 15 minutes and pint jars for 10 minutes
- Allow to cool on a dish towel. Then store in a cool, dark place. Wait at least two weeks before opening. Pickles can be stored for at least 18 months as long as they are sealed.
