Delicious dill pickles, home made

delicious dill pickles, home made

September and October are the month of harvest and here is how to make some really delicious home grown and home made dill pickles.
You need:

small garden cucumbers
fresh dill
wine leaves
onions
garlic
a few pepper corns
salt
apple cider vinegar

small garden cucumbers, the perfect size to make dill pickles

fresh dill

wine leaves, they make the pickles more crunchy

Make a brine out of water, apple cider vinegar, salt and some whole pepper corns. Any reasonable measures will work. Don't use too much salt. Just test the brine and see if it tastes good. It should have a stong taste.

Cut the onions, garlic and wine leaves into small pieces and add them to the brine. Cut a whole dill plant into 1-2 inch (2.5-5cm) pieces and add it together with the cucumbers.

Bring everything to boil and let it boil for 3min.

brine with spices and cucumbers

Let everything cool down a little (still hot but not boiling anymore). Just cool enough to be able to handle it safely. Fill the jars until about 1/4 inch (5-7mm) below the edge. Put the lids the jars but don't close them completely. The lid should still be a little bit loose such that vapor and air can easily get out.

Put the jars into a big pot with hot water. The water level should be just below the lid of the smallest jar. You should ideally use jars of similar sizes. Heat the already hot water with jars and bring it to boil for 3min.

Take some cotton gloves (thermal insulation) and pull large rubber gloves over them. You can handle the jars in the boiling water with those insulated gloves and you can close the lid of the jars while the water is still boiling hot. Take the jars out once they are closed and let them slowly cool down.

It takes about 2 weeks until the brine has given its full flavour to the cucumbers. I would therefore wait at least 2 weeks before you try them.

The pickles can be keet for more than a year in the jar but must be consumed within a day or two once they are opened.

delicious dill pickles, home made

These home made dill pickles are wonderful. No artificial coloring no preservatives just plain good.

Back to: "No preservatives added"