Dill Pickles

Living in a house with a man who truly hates pickles and most anything vinegary is difficult. especially when you, yourself, love pickles, mustard and things with a tang. I have slowly intensified the vinegar in hi life, usually hidden in a marinade or sauce.

So, in my quest of canning, I decided to make the basic Dill Pickle.

I bought about 4 pounds of fresh small cucumbers from Shepperd Farm in Carpinteria. Thanks Kjessie for the berries too. I "borrowed" a few fresh springs of dill from friends Leslie and her mom Karen's garden.

I then went on what was a search of a lifetime. Who knew that finding pickling spices would take me to four different big box stores...argh!!! I spent far too much on what will ensure that I continue to make pickles for a few seasons to come.

So, last night I started by washing the cucumbers and saoking them in cold water and a cup or so of salt. I awoke this morning and rinsed the cucs. I removed both the stem and flower end of each cucumber. I discarded the soft and funky looking cucumbers. I removed dicolored or damaged areas.

I stuffed my pint jars with my dill sprigs and added a clove of garlic and sprinkle of the pickling spices to each jar. I filled the jars with my sliced cucumber spears. I left a few smaller cucumbers whole.

I started a pot of 1 part white vineger and three parts water. I added one cup of salt for this ratio. I added a teaspoon of the pickling spice. The mixture was brought to a boil.

Once the mixture boiled, I filled each jar. I lidded and boiling water bath canned the jars. Once the boiling process was complete, I left the jars to cool.

Now to wait 3-6 weeks to sample the pickles. I hope I can wait!!!