Smartgirl Bakes

Pickles have been a summer staple in our apartment.  No matter what, we always have a jar of dill pickles in the fridge.

About half way through the summer I got the crazy idea of trying to make pickles myself.  My bf is somewhat of a pickle connoisseur.  He only eats one brand of pickles that you buy at the store, and he eats them often.

I figured, what the heck?  It was worth a try.  My bf is used to me experimenting with cooking different things, sometimes to not the greatest outcome.

I used a recipe I found online at EatingWell.com, but halved the recipe.  We definitely didn't need 6 jars of pickles in the house, although they probably would've got eaten.

The recipe is excellent with just a little bit of tweaking, and it's easy enough that I try to make a jar every couple of weeks.  They would be especially handy to take to a summer BBQ.

The only thing is that I can never find pickling cucumbers (kirby cucumbers) at the grocery store, and I don't really feel like tracking them down.  I have always used regular cucumbers and trimmed a few inches off of them depending on the jar I'm using.  Then, you can eat the left-over cucumber while you're making pickles =) Also, once I used cider vinegar, because the original recipe says you can, and I was out of white vinegar.  Big mistake!  It was WAY too tangy.

I love lots of dill and lots of garlic so feel free to use more or less, depending on what you like.


Dill Pickles


Adapted from EatingWell.com

Ingredients

3 cucumbers (depending on jar), cut into quarters

1/2 tsp pickling spice

12 sprigs fresh dill

1 tsp dill seed

5 whole cloves garlic, sliced

1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar

1 1/2 cups water

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp sugar


Preparation

1. Place cucumber spears into a canning jar or other tempered-glass container with a lid (You can also wash and reuse a store-bought pickle jar).  Add pickling spice to the jar.  Divide the dill springs, seeds, and garlic slices among the cucumbers.

2. Combine vinegar, water, salt and sugar in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve.  Let boil for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

3. Carefully fill jar with brine to within 1/2 inch of the rim, covering the cucumbers completely.  (Discard any leftover brine)

4.  Place lid on jar.  Refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.