DIY Dill Pickle Slices

Only use fresh pickling cucumbers to create dill pickles.

Gardeners often turn their cucumber crops into fresh pickles. Pickles are available in a variety of flavors, but dill pickles are one of the more common varieties. Dill pickles have a sour taste and a crisp texture. The pickles are made by fermenting pickling cucumbers in a brine solution that contains a mixture of vinegar, salt and water. Seasonings, such as dill, garlic and red pepper, are added to the brine solution to season the dill pickles. Properly fermented cucumbers are stored in canning jars to preserve them for up to 12 months.

Things You'll Need

• Knife
• 2 tbsp. dill seed
• Nonreactive container
• 4 lbs. pickling cucumbers
• 1/2 cup pickling salt
• 1/4 cup 5 percent white vinegar
• 8 cups cool water
• Dinner plate
• Clean towel
• Cooking pot
• Coffee filters
• Canning jars
• Water bath canner
• Jar tongs

Instructions

1. Wash the pickling cucumbers under cool running water to remove dirt and debris.

2. Cut the ends off the cucumbers and discard them if you are slicing the cucumbers. Slice the cucumbers into 1/4 inch, round slices. Slice the pickles into lengthwise spears if you desire. If you wish to keep the cucumbers whole, slice 1/16 inch off the blossom end and leave 1/4 inch of the stem attached.

3. Add 1 tbsp. of dill seed to the bottom of a nonreactive container, such as a stone crock. Use a container large enough to contain the cucumbers. Place the cucumbers into the bowl or container.

4. Combine the salt with the vinegar and water. Pour the solution over the cucumbers. Add the remaining 1 tbsp. of dill seed.

5. Place a dinner plate over the pickles to submerge them in the brine solution. The plate must cover most of the surface, but it also needs to fit into the opening to weight the cucumbers down into the liquid. Place two canning jars filled with water on the dinner plate to help weigh down the cucumbers.

6. Cover the container with a clean towel. Store the container in a temperature range between 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 75 degrees Fahrenheit for best results. Leave the container in this location for three to four weeks to ferment the cucumbers.

7. Check on the cucumbers two to three times a week. Remove mold or debris on the top of the brine.

8. Remove the pickles from the brine. Pour the brine into a large cooking pot. Heat the brine to a boil. Simmer the solution for five minutes.

9. Pour the brine through coffee filters to remove any impurities.

10. Place the pickles into the canning jars. Pour the hot brine into the jars and leave 1/2 inch of head-space. Place the lids and screw rings onto the pickle canning jars.

11. Prepare a water bath canner following the manufacturer's directions. One inch of boiling water must cover the canning jars. The water temperature must reach 180 degrees Fahrenheit to 185 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 30 minutes.

12. Process pint-size pickles for 10 minutes at altitudes between 0 and 1,000 feet, 15 minutes for 1,001 to 6,000 feet and 20 minutes for altitudes above 6,000 feet. Process quart canning jars for 15 minutes at altitudes between 0 and 1,000 feet, 20 minutes for 1,001 to 6,000 feet and 25 minutes for altitudes above 6,000 feet.

13. Remove the canning jars from the water bath canner with jar tongs. Place the canning jars on a towel to cool. Do not allow the jars to touch and keep them in a draft-free location.

14. Press on the center of the jar lids after they cool completely. The canning jar lids will make popping sounds if they did not seal. Store these jars in the refrigerator and store the processed pickle jars in a cool and dark location.

Tips & Warnings

• Only use food-grade containers to ferment the cucumbers. Add seasonings to the brine if you wish to flavor the pickles. Adding two garlic cloves, two dried red peppers or 2 tsp. of pickling spices with season the pickles while they ferment. Clean the dinner plate and fermentation container with hot, soapy water before you ferment the cucumbers.

• Discard the pickles if they have a slimy, soft texture. The pickles will develop a foul odor because they have spoiled. Never alter the vinegar, cucumbers or water used to create the dill pickles. Always sterilize canning jars in boiling water for 10 minutes before you can the pickles.

References

• National Center for Home Food Preservation; Preparing and Canning Fermented Foods: Dill Pickles; November 2009
• National Center for Home Food Preservation: Suitable Containers, Covers and Weights for Fermenting Food
• University of Minnesota Extension; Food Preservation: Dill Pickles; Debbie Stolpa, et al.; 2008
• Colorado State University Extension; Making Pickles; P. Kendall, et al.; November 2006