Grandma's Dill Pickles

Here's my next canned pickle adventure.  This one's out of the Ball Book of Canning.  While I tried to follow their directions, my cucumbers must be less dense than the ones they used.  I couldn't fit half a pound of them in a single pint jar.  So I followed the method and guessed the amounts by volume.  This can be scary when you're canning and is generally not a good idea.  In this case, the canning liquid is mostly vinegar, sugar, and salt.  All three of those ingredients are preservatives.  The only concern was the garlic clove, so I added a couple of minutes to the process time.

The bread and butter pickles were hot-pack.  These are cold pack, as in not cooked before processing.  They're also a two-day project.  Actually, I started soaking them in the early morning before work and processed them after dinner.  Each half of the recipe is easy and the most time consuming part is waiting for the water bath to boil.  The more I do canning, the less effort it is.  Jams are still a bit of a drama, but pickles are very easy.

After a year or so of just ignoring the spices-in-a-cheesecloth part of pickling instructions, I had a brilliant idea.  I own several stainless steel tea balls.  Put the spices in that, shut it tight, and use the hook that they all have to hang it on the edge of the saucepan.  Do not try this with aluminum or silver.  The acid will ruin the tea ball and the metal will turn the vinegar funky.

To be fair, this time I did look for pickling salt and spices.  My Pavilions didn't have either, and it was too hot outside to go traipsing to other markets.  I used what I already had of the spice mix listed in the Ball Book and 1.5 the amount of kosher salt.  These will probably come out salty, but better salty than unsafe.  Next time I'm at a market that caters to canners, I'll stock up on proper supplies.  I'd buy online, but I don't pickle enough to buy in large quantities.  That prague powder I bought for the corned beef is going to be there forever.

The one confusing part of the recipe was the instruction that the cucumbers be "trimmed".  Maybe that means something to someone who grew up making pickles.  I just took off the blossom end, since I learned that leaving it on makes pickles mushy.  These are whole pickles, not spears, halves, or slices.  It hasn't been long enough to crack open a jar, so I don't know if this was the right choice.  Let you know in a couple of weeks.  So far, this summer's pickles I've enjoyed the most were from re-boiling the brine from the bread and butter pickles and pouring it over halves of the last little cucumbers to make quick refrigerator pickles.

1 lb pickling cucumbers, blossom end removed
1 lb ice cubes
3 Tb pickling or canning salt, divided
1-1/2 C water, divided
1 tsp pickling spice
3/4 C white vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp mustard seed
1 fresh dill head or 1 Tb dill seed or weed
1 clove garlic

1.  In a non-reactive container, layer cucumbers and ice.  Dissolve 1 Tb of the salt in 1/2 C water.  Pour over cucumbers and add more water, if necessary, to cover them.  Weigh down with a jar or plate to keep them submerged and refrigerate 12-18 hours.

2.  Drain cucumbers and rinse.  Wash out some jars, starting with a pint, and do a practice pack to see how many you actually need.  Re-rinse cucumbers in case any soap residue remained.  Prepare those jars and their lids, plus the water bath.

3.  In a non-reactive saucepan, combine 1 C water, vinegar, remaining 2 Tb salt, sugar, and spices in a tea ball or cheesecloth.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar.  Reduce heat, cover, and boil gently for 15 minutes to infuse spices.

4.  Pack cucumbers into now-sterile jars to within a generous 1/2" of top of jar.  Add mustard seeds, dill, and garlic to jar.  Ladle hot pickling liquid into hot jar to cover cucumbers, leaving 1/2" headspace.  Remove air bubbles and, if necessary, adjust headspace by adding more brine.   Wipe rim, center lid, and screw on band fingertip tight.

5.  Process jar(s) in boiling water for 12 minutes.  Allow to cool to room temperature.  Test seals.  If seal is bad, refrigerate promptly and use within a month.  If seal is good, store at least a month before opening, and up to 1 year.

Makes about 1 pint

Difficulty rating  :)