Spicy Dill Pickles

My mother and I embarked on quite the adventure this summer. We made pickles. From scratch (well, from cucumbers)! It is something I have always wanted to do and have been talking about all summer, so we finally got up the guts to just go ahead and do it.

 
We devoted an entire day to Pickle Production. We woke up and purchased gherkin cucumbers and huge bunch of dill almost as tall as me from a local produce stand. We then went to the grocery store in search of all the supplies pickles require. We had to find pickling salt, a huge jug vinegar, and pickling spices.

We didn't have to worry about finding jars, rings, or lids because my parents had bought a couple boxes of wide mouth canning jars at a garage sale this summer! Score!

My mom did a lot of research online to find a dill pickle recipe that reminded her of the ones she would help her grandma make when she was young. She fondly recalls sneaking more peppers in the pickles jars before they were sealed--she loves a good spicy pickle!

Although my mom found a good recipe, we tweaked it a bit. We added a lot of garlic, more spices, and a lot of peppers. We also threw in some onions too, because when is a little onion a bad thing?

We got started by washing all the jars and then sterilizing them in a hot water bath. After they were sterilized we began eagerly filling them with the cucumbers and the spices. It felt just like we were packing a goodie bag or a gift basket! We knew when these jars were opened next they would be enjoyed by our eager mouths or by our lucky friends and family.

At this same time we were cooking the brine solution of water, vinegar, and pickling salt ( I looked at the ingredient list of pickling salt to see how it differs from any other salt, and it just said SALT! I went to several stores to find regular salt?!?). The whole house began smelling like pickles before we even poured the brine over the cucumbers. I am convinced I smelled like pickles for days too, although no one would admit it.

We then poured the brine into our fill jars and put on the lids. Next was the time consuming part. We had to boil each of the jars for fifteen minutes. We're lucky we had two canning pots but it still took about an hour to get all the jars processed.

Then came the very rewarding part (well, other than eating them)...we got to hear all the jars "pop!" as the lids sealed. This was proof that we had successfully canned pickles! They would stay perfectly fresh for up to year. Canning really is an amazing thing!

Now this particular recipe calls for the pickles to cure for eight weeks. This means eight whole weeks of torture and eating sub-par pickles from the grocery store. This was not going to fly with us so what did we do? We opened one jar not even 24 hours after making them. And believe it or not, it was REALLY GOOD! It looked like a pickle, smelled like a pickle and tasted like a pickle!

Of course I have opened several other jars since then (ya, it's still only been a few weeks) and they have only gotten better! The most recent jar was very flavorful and had a good amount of heat. I just served them two nights ago at my apartment warming party and am pleased to report that they were the first food to disappear. I would say our first pickling experience was a success and I definitely plan on doing it again next year!

Spicy Dill Pickles

25 lbs of Gherkins cucumbers
32 cups of water
2 cups pickling salt
12 cups white vinegar
Garlic, cut in half
Fresh Dill Weed
12 dried hot red peppers
Pickling spice
Peppercorns
Onion, sliced

Sterilize the jars and lids in a boiling water for 10-15 minutes. At this time have your cucumbers soaking in an ice bath to keep them crunchy.

Prep your pickles. If you want your pickles sliced, do so now, or leave them whole.

Make the Brine. Bring water, salt and vinegar to a rolling boil in a large pot.

Meanwhile, fill each jar. Put a layer of spices on the bottom: 2 cloves of garlic, 2 peppers, a few slices of onion, a sprig of dill, 1 teaspoon of pickling salt and 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns. Now, pack the jars with as many pickles as possible. Next put another layer of spices and flavoring agents on the top.

Fill each jar with brine, leaving a little room at the top.

Wipe off the top of each jar. Place a lid on each jar (these have just come out of the hot water) and seal with a ring.

Finally, process the jars in a boiling water bath from 15 minutes.

Pickles will be ready in 6 weeks if sliced and 8 weeks if whole. However, they are still delicious if opened sooner. Enjoy!