Ingredients
- 2 1/4 pound pickling cucumbers (about 36)
- 3 3/4 cups water
- 3 3/4 cups white vinegar
- 6 Tbsp pickling salt
- 8 Tbsp of dill seed
- 1 Tbsp mustard seeds
- For spicy pickles add a thai chili to each jar.
Preparation
Step 1
1. Wash cucumbers thoroughly and scrub with a vegetable brush, if needed. Remove stems and cut off a slice from each end. (Enzymes at the blossom end of the cucumber may also cause softening)
2. To prepare the brine, combine the water, vinegar, and salt in a saucepan. Heat until mixture boils.
3. Pack the cleaned cucumbers loosely into hot, clean pint canning jars, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace. Add 3-4 tsp of dill and 1/2 tsp of mustard see to each jar. Place a wide-mouth funnel in the jar and ladle the hot brine over the cucumbers. Remove the funnel. Release trapped air bubbles in the jar by gently working a narrow rubber spatula around the jar's sides. Add additional brine if needed to maintain the 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the jar rim with a clean, damp paper towel. Any food on the rim prevents a perfect seal. Position a prepared lid and screw band on the jar and tighten according to manufacturer's directions. Place each jar into boiling water of a water of a water bath canner as it is filled. The jars should not touch. Cover the canner. Process filled jars in the boiling water for 10 minutes. Begin counting the processing time when the water returns to boiling.
4. When the jars have cooled, press the center of each lid to check the seal. If the dip in the lid holds, the jar is sealed. If the lid bounces up and down after jar is cool then the jar isn't sealed. Store unsealed jars in the fridge and used within 3 days. Best flavor after 5-6 weeks.