Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Pickles and Patience is not one of my virtues...


I know patience is a virtue, but it's not one of mine, or the Moose for that matter!  We couldn't wait the recommended 72 hours before testing the refrigerated dill pickles.  The jars just kept calling to us, each time we opened the frig.

I will share the recipe, but will explain how I would change it up, for me.

4lbs of cucumbers, spears or sliced
fresh dill, enough for 3-4 sprigs per jar
jars - I used 6 quart size Kerr jars
pickling spice - 2 tsp per jar I used Ball, Mixed pickling spice, but would make my own
fresh garlic - enough for 1-3 cloves per jar, sliced
6 cups distilled white vinegar
6 cups water
4 Tbs + 4 tsp sea salt
4 Tbs sugar

Cut up the cucumbers, place them in the jar, leaving around 1/2" at the top.  Add in dill, garlic and pickling spice in to each jar.  Pack the jars tight.

Make the brine;  mix vinegar, water, salt and sugar in a non-reactive pot, and bring to a boil.  Mix so the sugar and salt are blended.  Boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and cool slightly.

Add the brine to each jar, covering the cucumbers.  Cap/cover the jars and refrigerate. 

You're supposed to wait 72 hours, we waited 60.  They were crunchy, and tangy.  You know when something is so tangy your eye squints all on its own?!  Yum, that's how I like my pickles.  However, I will not use the Ball, Mixed Pickling Spice again.  There is too much of some seed, possibly cloves, and not only can you taste it, you can smell it.  It hasn't stopped us from eating them, but it is the "one" thing I would change.

Ball ingredients;  mustard seed, black peppercorns, dill seed, cardamom, cassa, ginger, coriander, allspice, chili pepper, cloves, bay leaves.

Otherwise, the recipe is a keeper.  Definitely deli style pickles. On a scale of 1-5, they're a 4, but only because of the cloves.

I found the recipe online at bigapplenosh.com

3 comments:

  1. As a survivor and prepper, patience is the one virtue one must hold above all else...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not when tangy, crunchy pickles are involved!..

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    2. That isn't a matter of patience. That's timing lol

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