Cucumber Pickles
4 pounds cucumbers, sliced about 3/8-inch thick
2 Tbs. canning salt or kosher salt (not table salt – the iodine will give an off color)
3 cups cider vinegar
3 cups water
1 Tbs. sugar
6 heads of dill
6 cloves garlic, sliced
12 small hot peppers
3 tsp. mustard seed
2 ½ quarts water
2 Tbs. canning or kosher salt.
6 pint canning jars, with 6 rings and 6 lids, sterilized
Dissolve salt into 2 ½ quarts water in a non-reactive container. Soak cucumbers overnight.
The next day, boil the 3 cups of water and 3 cups of vinegar in a non-reactive container. Add salt until dissolved to create a brine.
Add one clove sliced garlic, two hot peppers, a head of dill and a half-teaspoon of mustard seed to each jar. Pack with sliced cucumbers and pour brine to within a half-inch of the top.
Place lids on top and tighten with rings. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Cool completely, and check to make sure the seal is tight before storing. Store about three weeks before using.
NOTE: We can’t stress enough the importance of using sterile jars, lids, rings and other equipment. Boil the hardware in a gallon of water with a teaspoon of bleach, or a couple tablespoons of vinegar for about 10 minutes before packing the pickles. And if after processing, the lid of the jar can pop in and out, you don’t have a proper seal, which can invite contamination. Don’t store those pickles.
Recipe from TomLibous.com
