Crunchy Sweet Hot Garlic Dill Pickles

By lindaauman

Adapted from a recipe in Simply Canning.

Ingredients

• 8 lbs of 3-4 inch pickling cucumbers
• Garlic cloves (1 per jar)
• Jalapeno peppers (to taste per jar)
• 2 gals water
• 1 1/2 cups canning or pickling salt
• 2 qts vinegar (5 percent)
• 4 cups sugar
• 2 quarts water
• 2 T whole mixed pickling spice
• Whole mustard seed (1 tsp per pint jar)
• Dill seed (1 tsp per pint jar)

Preparation

Step 1

Wash your cucumbers and thinly slice off the blossom end. (the blossoms have an enzyme that will make your pickles soft)

Add 1 cup salt dissolved in 2 gallons water. Soak cucumbers in water for 12 hours. Drain and get your canning supplies together.

Combine vinegar, 1/2 cup salt, sugar, and 2 quarts of water. Place pickling spices in a cheesecloth and place in your vinegar brine. Heat to boiling.

Fill jars with drained cucumbers. Per pint jar add:

1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp dill seed
1 garlic clove, sliced in half
Slices of jalapeno pepper, to taste

Fill jars with hot pickling brine. Leave a 1/2 inch head space.

Process for 10 minutes in water bath canner. Adjust time for altitude.