Dill Pickles

We grew our own pickling cucumbers this year, so I could make fresh and hopefully crisper, organic dill pickles.

Dill pickles

Dill Pickle Recipe

This recipe is easy and you can add as much or as little garlic as you like. I wouldn't mess around with the brine ratio too much due to proper ph levels needed for safe storage, but you can tweak the spices and garlic to suit your taste.

Pickling cucumbers on digital scale

Ingredients

6 lbs pickling cucumbers
5 cups vinegar
5 cups water
7 tbsp kosher salt
18 garlic cloves
9 tsp dill seeds
4 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
5 large grape leaves

Dill pickle ingredients

Directions

Wash cucumbers and slice into wedges or slices.

Cucumbers

Bring the water, vinegar and salt to a boil to make a brine.

Peel the garlic and add 2 cloves to each sterilized jar. Add 1 tsp or a few sprigs of dill weed to each jar along with 1/2 tsp peppercorns.

Dill pickles

Pack the jars with the cucumber wedges, trimmed to about 1/2 inch from the top of the jars. Pack half a grape leaf in each jar to maintain the crispness of the pickles.

Fill each jar with the brine and place the lids and screw on the bands finger tight.

Pickle Processing

Process 12 minutes in a hot water bath. NO LONGER!.Let set at least one week before opening in order for the flavors to be absorbed. This part is torturous.

Tips for Crispy Pickles

I have never actually made crispy pickles, at least not to my satisfaction unless this year's batch was more successful than the past two years. Last year I left them in the water bath too long. This year I did better, taking them out after 12 minutes. I also used the grape leaves this year, and they are supposed to help keep pickles crispy. Some recipes say to use alum but apparently (or so I read somewhere) the FDA has banned that for some reason. I intend to research that a bit, since I have alum in my pantry and had intended to use it. Bit didn't. Because of the FDA.

Probably the most believable way to make the crispest pickles is to make them with fresh cucumbers, within hours of picking them, which is what I did. Hopefully between that and the grape leaves I will have more success than last year.

So, I'm sure they're no match for Bick's as crisp factor goes, but in flavor I bet they have them beat and here's hoping for crispIER.

That jar on the far left is Lily's

Lady Ashburnham Pickles

Lady Ashburnham Pickles

Who the Heck is Lady Ashburnham, Anyway?

Apparently, Lady Ashburnham was a Frederictonian who was employed as a telephone operator and her distinctive voice charmed a British royal and they wound up getting married. He became the Duke despite being like 6th in line, but they weren't really in favor with the Royal Family who "encouraged" him to bring his bride back to New Brunswick where they were basically socialites in Fredericton. The pickles were actually her sister's, not hers, but she gets the credit for them through their name. Not the coolest story, but it answers the question, Who the heck is Lady Ashburnham?

The Recipe

Ingredients
6 large cucumbers, chopped fine
4 cups onions, chopped
1 red pepper (apparently not part of the original recipe, but makes them prettier)
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 cups vinegar
2 cups white sugar
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp dry mustard
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp celery seed

Directions

Day 1:
Wash your cucumbers and pepper. Peel and dice your cucumbers and onions, and chop the red pepper fine. Place all vegetables in a large bowl, sprinkle the salt over them and set overnight, covered with a clean cloth.

Peeling cucumbers

Onions

Peeled and de-pulped cucumbers

Some people really chop the cucumbers fine, but I cut mine about 1/4" - 1/2" cubes.

Cucumbers & onions

Cucumbers & onions sitting in salt overnight

Day 2:
Combine all ingredients in a large pot and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.

Pickles cooking

Sterilize 6 500-ml jars and soak lids and bands in hot water for about 15 minutes (don't boil).

Preparing the lids and bands

Sterilizing the jars

Ladle the pickles into the jars, cover with lids and screw the bands on finger-tight. Most of the recipes don't say to, but I always place them in a sterile sink and pour a kettle of boiling water over them. For good measure.

Bottled Lady Ashburnhams