My mom, aunt and I take care of our own garden at my memere’s house and the past couple years we have planted less cucumber plants but we still seem to run into the same problem, we still get too many cucumbers! We always seem to have more cucumbers than we need during the summer growing season so in order to not waste any, we have started to pickle them instead! Pickling is actually a really easy process and the perfect way to enjoy the excess amounts of cukes that many people seem to find themselves having during the summer months. I have written below my mom’s recipe for dill pickles, because, although I may be biased, they are super delicious! Please note that this is a recipe for “fridge pickles” and does not use a water bath canning method. As a result of this, these pickles must stay refrigerated and last approximately 1 month.
Summer Dill Pickles:
- 14 pickling cucumbers
- 40 fresh dill sprigs
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 quarts of water
- 1 cup of cider vinegar
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup salt
- 1 teaspoon mixed pickling spices
My family sorta just uses this recipe as a guide and judges the amounts of each ingredient needed based on how many cukes we have available at that time. But I do recommend that if it’s your first time pickling that you follow the recipe to ensure you are getting the flavor desired! Below I wrote out the directions to help you prepare this delicious treat.
Instructions:
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Remove the blossom end of each cucumber and wash. Cut each cucumber lengthwise into about 6 spears. In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, dill and garlic; set aside.
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In a covered pot, combine the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and cook and until the sugar is dissolved. Pour this liquid over the ingredients prepared in the first step (containing the cucumbers) and allow to cool.
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Transfer to jars and cover tightly (My family buys mason jars at the store). Refrigerate for at least 24 hours and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. You should get from this recipe about 4 quarts of pickles!
I have been enjoying the pickle recipe for many summers and it never fails to impress me! It really is quite simple although I know the process of making pickles can seem a difficult at first. If you love a good dill pickle like I do, I can guarantee you’ll enjoy this recipe!