Dill Pickles Recipe & Canning

Wash and boil jars and lids. Boil for at least 10 minutes prior to canning.

Wash cucumbers. This recipe is for 6 pints. I did 3 jars that are slices which are great on burgers and sandwich's and 3 jars that are petite spears which I like to serve as a side with sandwiches and charcuterie boards. These are great in tuna fish, egg salad, tartar sauce and many more. I grow and use Persian pickling cucumbers because of their texture. Persian cucumbers are crunchy with a tender skin. The flesh of Persian cucumbers is pale green and has small, soft edible seeds. Its texture is crisp and crunchy, with a mild and refreshing flavor.

For spears measure and cut your cucumbers to fit your jars. Cut off both ends of the cucumber and discard or compost.

Slice cucumbers into desired thicknesses.

Make brine. In a stainless-steel pan bring to a boil vinegar and sugar. After sugar has dissolved add in the rest of the ingredients with the exception of the cucumbers.

Place 1/8 teaspoon of pickle crisp in the bottom of the jars and 3-4 peppercorns. Pickle crisp will help your pickles to be crunchy. Carefully fill the hot jars with the cucumbers.

Ladle the hot brine over the cucumbers in the jars leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Make sure there are no large pockets of air with a bubble spatula tool or butter knife.

Wipe the rims of the jars so there is nothing to prevent them from sealing.

Place the lids and rims on the jars.

Carefully lower the jars into the boiling water bath canner making sure that the water is 1-2 inches over the tops of the jars. Place the canner lid on. For elevations of 0-1,000 feet process for 10 minutes. For elevations of 1,001-6,000 feet process for 15 minutes. Above 6,000 feet process for 20 minutes. The process time is the same for quarts and pint jars. After your process time is up, remove canner from heating element if possible and take off the lid. Allow jars to sit in the canner for 5 minutes before removing them to a kitchen towel lined countertop. Jars should be left undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Check the seals, wipe down the jars and label with the contents and date. Any jars that didn't seal should be refrigerated.

Enjoy!