The pioneers worked hard in their gardens all summer long and preserved what they could for the harsh winter months ahead by storing vegetables in the root cellar, drying, salting or by canning. Canning was first invented in 1809 as a way to preserve food for the French army. Canning is a method of preserving food to prevent spoilage by storing it in containers that are sealed and then sterilized by heat. The mason jar was first invented in 1858. Glass canning jars were improved from the original mason jar design and were manufactured for home use in the 1880’s so it could be accessible by everyone.
I have always enjoyed canning goodies that we have collected from the garden, or the local farmer’s markets! Not only do I enjoy canning, but I know exactly what the ingredients are, how it’s processed and it’s a fantastic way to preserve food to eat over the winter! It’s summer in a jar!
My family loves everything from relishes and jams to canned fruit to a variety of pickles (keep an eye out for our wonderful recipes!). One of my family’s absolute favorites are homemade dill pickles! They are simple, easy and delicious! They will surely be a hit in your home too!
What I love about this recipes is the versatility of what you can create into a dill pickle! You can turn an assortment of vegetables into dills – everything from cucumbers and carrots to green and yellow beans to zucchini and cauliflower — almost any veggie and it is delightful! We pickle mostly cucumbers, carrots, cauliflower and beans although this is our first try at pickling patty pan squash!
My favorite dill pickle recipe that I will be sharing with you is a Mennonite recipe that I have been using since 2012. Although I have been canning for over 20 years, I have only been making pickles since 2012! It uses a handful of ingredients which is wonderful. There is no need for all the chemicals and dyes that end up in processed and manufactured pickles.
Once I clean the cucumbers and carrots, I then prep everything else like getting the pickling brine going, peel garlic, trim dill, heat the canning pot, rinse jars and then finally I am ready to can! Pickles are ready to eat in 6 to 8 weeks — the longer they sit, the better they taste!
Let’s get started!
Dill. I use dill fronds and the yellow dill heads to give the dill pickles that deliciously dilly flavor! I find they are the most flavorful in dill pickles when they are a pretty yellow. One they have browned, they have gone to seed — at this stage, once the dill heads are dry, you can shake them to collect the seeds to plant again!
I pick cucumbers of all sizes. Larger ones are great for the bottom of the jar while smaller ones fit perfectly on the top. This year though, my cucumbers have not grown as well, so I have purchased a bunch from our local Hutterite colony. If i cannot grow it, I always try to support local! I did can the few cucumbers that we were able to grow this summer!
Once cucumbers are picked (or bought from a local farmer), it’s time to clean and prep the cucumbers. I never soak my cucumbers (or any other veggie I turn into a dill pickle) in salt. Not ever! I find every time I have tried it, my pickles have gone mushy and no one likes soggy pickles!
I simply trim the ends, gently scrub with a vegetable brush and toss them into the sink or bowl with super cold water and a few ice cubes. This helps keep the cucumbers crisp until it is time to pack the jars.
I clip the dill heads and fronds from the dill stems and place them in a bowl of warm water. This often draws out any bugs that may be hiding in the dill!
I also peel the garlic and leave them in a bowl of cold water which helps keep them fresher longer so they are less likely to dry out until we pickle them.
Brine. 1 cup pickling salt (NOT table salt), 1 cup granulated sugar, 5 cups white vinegar and 13 cups water.
Combine the salt, sugar, vinegar and water together and bring to a boil. Boil gently, stirring often, until the salt and sugar have dissolved and is no longer cloudy. Boil 8 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and simmer until jars are packed and canning pot is ready.
Time to pack the jars! I wash the jars with extremely hot soapy water and rinse well with hot water. Placing the jars in the canning pot to sterilize them will help to avoid bacteria. Once jars are ready, we can begin. Seals should be placed in a bowl of warm water. This softens the seal and helps the jar to seal quicker.
Place garlic in the bottom of the jar along with a dill head (half if the dill head is large) and some dill fronds. Pack cucumbers in. I often add carrots, green/yellow beans or even quartered cucumbers to fill the gaps. Once jar is filled with veggies, add another clove of garlic on top, dill fronds and a dill head (or tear and place half the dill head in the jar if its large). Set aside. Continue until complete.
You can easily chop the cucumbers, slice, quarter or leave whole. Same for carrots. I usually leave beans whole, just trim the ends. I quarter patty pan squash. Zucchini can be cut in spears. Cauliflower in florets.
Jars are packed and ready. They are placed on a cutting board since the brine will be hot. Look how beautiful!
Pour brine in, up to 1/4″ of rim.
Once jar is filled, wipe rim. This will help the jar to seal.
Place seals and rims on jars and tighten just finger tight.
If it’s too tight, the jar can break. Sometimes, the pressure will build up and the bottom of the jar can completely separate from the jar, breaking, leaking all the goodness out! It is so discouraging when this happens. Old jars can sometimes weaken and break as well.
Too loose and the brine can leak out. I just lightly tighten and then loosen slightly.
Be sure canning pot has come to a boil. Place jars inside. Process for 15 minutes.
The canning pot needs to stay hot, but not boil at this point. Be sure the water goes up the jar, almost to the lid.
After 15 minutes, carefully remove from canning pot and place on cooling rack or cutting boards with towels on it. I always place my wooden cutting boards on my cooling racks (which are low to the counter), and then I cover with 2 to 3 tea towels. Jars coming out of the canning pot are quite hot, so be careful.
Let cool completely. Snaps will pop when they seal. After 24 hours, jars that have not sealed can be placed in the fridge.
Cucumbers will turn from a bright green to a dull green once pickled. Store bought pickles contain an array of chemicals and preservatives so pickles stay green. Since I have been canning for so long, this is what I know a delicious homemade pickle to look like!
After 24 hours, once jars have completely cooled, determine which have sealed and which have not. Those that have not sealed cannot be canned again or stored — these will have to be refrigerated and can be eaten in about 6 weeks. Those that have sealed can be dated and stored. Sealed jars will look sunken in and jars that have not sealed will be domed.
Homemade Dill Pickles are tasty and wonderful to enjoy throughout the winter months. Once you taste these yummy dill pickles, you will be tempted to eat the whole jar (and believe me, we have definitely done that!)! They are delicious in dill pickle soup, eaten as a side with a meal, tossed in a sandwich or just eaten straight out of the jar! Any way you enjoy them, they will be dill-icious!!
I love, love, love pickles! I can’t wait until this summer to harvest my cucumbers to try this recipe. Thank you for the detailed pictures and instructions. I’m one that needs specifics! LOL! I’ve never tried my hand at canning so it’ll be an experiement! I’ll let you know how it works out!
Oh thank you so much!! Good luck this summer with canning, and if you have any questions please just ask!! We’re always here to help! And we’d love to know how it works for you!! This is one of our tried-&-true recipes!