Our garden still continues to produce cucumbers at a rapid rate. Last Friday, I started fermenting 3 gallon of cukes and it looks like I'll have enough by this weekend to produce another small batch of pickles. I'd prefer to can these so they'll be shelf stables but I've already made dill, bread and butter, gherkins, and beer pickles. Anyone have any unusual or interesting flavor combination ideas or recipes for pickles they wanna share?

Grandma's tried and true recipe for dill pickles:

Stuff jar with cukes, a clove of garlic, 2 dried red peppers, and a stalk of dill with seed.

Brine: For a quart, 1-1/4 cup water; 2/3 cup pickling vinegar; 1 TBS pickling salt

Heat brine to boiling. Pour over cukes etc in jar. Leave 1/8 inch space at top. Loosely screw on lid and seal.
Place in hot water bath in saucepan on medium heat for 20-25 minutes.
Remove jar and tighten lid. Place inverted jar in hot water bath for additional five minutes. Remove and place on hot pad, upside down, until cool.

Here's the one I use:

Liquid:
1 quart Vinegar
2.5 quarts water
3/4 cup canning/pickling salt.

Jar contents:
generous handful of dill
3-4 slices fresh garlic
2-5 chile arbol (small dried up peppers)


This recipe is for pint jars. For quarts, double garlic and peppers.

Put dill, garlic, and peppers in jar. Pack with Cukes. Cram as many as you can, leaving a 1/2" gap at top.

Once all jars are packed, bring liquid to a boil to dissolve salt.

Turn off heat, and pour hot concoction into jars leaving 1/4"-1/2" space at top.

Proceed with hot water bath procedure. 8-10 minutes is good.

Let sit 3 weeks minimum before opening, the longer they sit the better the flavor.

If a jar fails to seal after the water bath, place it in the fridge, it will stay good for 4-6 months. Eat it first after the waiting period.

That seems like a long time to water bath them.

Put them under 2 inches of boiling water. Boil them for 10 (if you sterilized the jars)-15 mins (if you didn't).

You want to kill the criters not cook the cucumbers.

But what do I know, Ive only won 5 ribbons in the Texas state fair.

*Give me a break it is one of the few things in life I can brag about

Duncan Idaho said:

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That seems like a long time to water bath them.

Put them under 2 inches of boiling water. Boil them for 10 (if you sterilized the jars)-15 mins (if you didn't).

You want to kill the criters not cook the cucumbers.

But what do I know, Ive only won 5 ribbons in the Texas state fair.

*Give me a break it is one of the few things in life I can brag about

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That's why I said medium heat, not boiling water.

Duncan- care to share any of your prize-winning recipes?

Good one I like...

~ Authentic Amish Refrigerator Pickles~
~Ready to eat in 24 hrs~

6 c cucumbers, sliced
1 c green pepper, sliced
1 c onion, sliced
Liquid:
1 c cider vinegar
2 c white sugar
1 tsp celelry seed
2 Tbsp salt

Slice the veggies into 2 quart jars, I like to make layers of them: you can leave out the onions and peppers, if you want, but they are so good!~Mix your other ingredients in a large measuring cup, stir well. The sugar will not be dissolved yet~Pour over sliced vegetables, evenly in each jar~You will finish filling the jars with cold tap water~I shake the jar a few times during the 24 hrs to mix~No need to cook it~ Ready to eat in 24 hours.

Timely thread. Couldn't sleep so got a wild hair and went 3 am pickle ingredient shopping. First time I've made them in over a year.

I don't follow a set recipe. I eyeball and "feel" out everything. Terrible way to go about it I am sure, but good enough for me.

I do a 24 cold batch style.

2 to 1 water white vinegar ratio.
2 tbls pickling salt per cup of water
A half smidge of sugar

For the spice, my favorite is a bunch of garlic, red pepper flakes, pepper, and a healthy smattering of dill.

Smash in cukes, fill the void with baby carrots, fill with spice and brine, shake vigorously, place in fridge, drool and wait impatiently, timer hits 24 hours immediately feast until I get sick to my stomach.