Cucumber Recipe/pickles?

[pete28]

hello all. my wife and two daughters love pickles, and seeing as how im growing three kinds of cucumbers i htought making pickles from some of them mihgt not be to difficult except for one thing, i have no idea of where to begin. ^_^ is htere anyone out there that would be willing to share there pickle making knowledge with a rookie pickler? thank you in advance for any helo that i might receive
PEte

[DandyLioness]

My Mom used to made homemade pickes and I LOVED them!

I found this at "goodbyecitylife":

Old Fashioned Crock Cucumber Pickles
Did you know pickles were supposed to taste this good?

I didn't until the year I decided to try this old-fashioned way of making pickles.

Now my family loves pickles, but refuses to eat the store-bought version.

They're happy to simply go without if there aren't any crock dills in the house!

This recipe makes 6 pints of delicious baby dills.

Ingredients

8 cups water

1/2 cup pickling salt (coarse)

1 gallon pickling cucumbers 2-3" in length

6 garlic cloves

6 fresh dill heads or sprigs

2 tablespoons pickling spice

2 small hot peppers (fresh or dried)

1 cup white pickling vinegar

Prepare The Cucumbers

Scrub and drain cucumbers removing blossom end (the end contain enzymes which can cause rot).

Prepare The Solution

Place water, vinegar and salt into crock, stirring to dissolve salt. Add remaining ingredients. Place a weighted plate in the solution to keep cucumbers immersed. Cover crock with a tight fitting plastic bag or plastic wrap.

Waiting

Keep the crock in an area where the temperature is about 68 degrees F. Check the contents daily and remove any floating scum. Do this for 7 days.

And Can

Strain spices out of the brine and boil brine for 5 minutes. Immerse glass mason jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. If using self-sealing lids boil as well for 5 minutes. Into hot (now sterilized) jars distribute fresh spices, cucumbers from the crock and hot brine to within 1/2" of jar top. Wipe jar rim before securing lids. Process jars in a hot water bath for 5 minutes.

Shelf Life

Store jars in a cool, dark place and let set for 1 week before opening. Consume within 12 months.

[mla2ofus]

Here's a couple that my family really likes.

Simple dill pickles:
Sterilize as many jars as you need and place lids in hot water.
Put 2 to 3 heads of dill in each jar. Pack cleaned whole cukes in each jar and add 1 clove garlic, if desired. To each quart jar put in 1 1/2 Tbls. each pickling salt and mustard seed. Add 1/2 cup cider vinegar to each jar and fill with cold sterile water. Seal jar and let stand where warm for 2 days. Shake several times a day for the first day. Store in cooler area and let ripen for 6 weeks before eating.


These are my husbands favorite.

Bread and Butter Pickles

4 quarts sliced medium cukes
6 medium white onions, sliced
2 green peppers, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup coarse salt
5 cups sugar
3 cups cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
2 Tablespoons mustard seed

Do not pare cukes; slice thin. Add onions, peppers, and whole garlic cloves. Add salt; cover with cracked ice; mix thoroughly. Let stand 3 hours; drain well.
Put cukes in large pan. Combine remaining ingredients; pour over cuke mixture. Heat just to a boil. Pack and seal in hot, sterilized jars.
This is a very old recipe and it doesn't say to water bath can them and I never have but I think you could if you wanted to.

[pete28]

holy moly! thank you for the very detailed replies my wife and children will be so pleased. i cant thank you both enough
PEte