My Mom's Recipe
Here's my mom's recipe, made each year on the '49 Westy stove. Everybody loved them. My sister still puts them up each summer. She used to work for rock show promoter Bill Graham and he absolutely loved them--that is the "Bill" she references below.
Dan, if you prefer, I'll send you the document by e-mail.
ALMA'S DILL PICKLES
One "lug" of medium size pickling cucumbers makes 20 quarts of pickles & takes 3
recipes of brine. Use wide-mouth quart jars.
Order in advance, but bring the cucumbers home the same day you’ll put them up.
They should be dumped into a bucket of ice water, scrubbed with a brush, and then
put into a holding bucket of clean ice water.
Stand the dill in a tall bucket or heavy vase with water if you’ll be keeping it a
while.
Bring to a boil & simmer:
3.5 quarts water
1 pint white vinegar
2/3 cup table or Kosher salt (not iodized salt)
Into sterilized quart jars (run them through the dishwasher), put:
sprigs of fresh dill (flower, stems & leaves)
a clove of garlic (I put 2 or 3 cloves in the batches I made for Bill)
a half a hot chili pepper
a pinch of powdered alum
Then stuff with cucumbers as tightly as possible but down far enough that they'll
clear the lid.
Pour hot brine to fill jars & cover immediately with scalded lids.
You'll hear the lids pop as they seal.
Store in a cool, dark place for at least 3 weeks.
Note: If you want to make pints instead, get small size cucumbers & twice as many
jars. Always use wide mouth for easy filling & taking out!
Here's my mom's recipe, made each year on the '49 Westy stove. Everybody loved them. My sister still puts them up each summer. She used to work for rock show promoter Bill Graham and he absolutely loved them--that is the "Bill" she references below.
Dan, if you prefer, I'll send you the document by e-mail.
ALMA'S DILL PICKLES
One "lug" of medium size pickling cucumbers makes 20 quarts of pickles & takes 3
recipes of brine. Use wide-mouth quart jars.
Order in advance, but bring the cucumbers home the same day you’ll put them up.
They should be dumped into a bucket of ice water, scrubbed with a brush, and then
put into a holding bucket of clean ice water.
Stand the dill in a tall bucket or heavy vase with water if you’ll be keeping it a
while.
Bring to a boil & simmer:
3.5 quarts water
1 pint white vinegar
2/3 cup table or Kosher salt (not iodized salt)
Into sterilized quart jars (run them through the dishwasher), put:
sprigs of fresh dill (flower, stems & leaves)
a clove of garlic (I put 2 or 3 cloves in the batches I made for Bill)
a half a hot chili pepper
a pinch of powdered alum
Then stuff with cucumbers as tightly as possible but down far enough that they'll
clear the lid.
Pour hot brine to fill jars & cover immediately with scalded lids.
You'll hear the lids pop as they seal.
Store in a cool, dark place for at least 3 weeks.
Note: If you want to make pints instead, get small size cucumbers & twice as many
jars. Always use wide mouth for easy filling & taking out!
