sandy0225

This sounds weird, but it makes really good pickles that keep in the basement for a year!

1 quart cucumbers sliced and loosely put into a mason jar
1/8 cup salt (any kind as long as no iodine is added)
1teaspoon dill seed
1 small clove of garlic sliced or chunked
1 small hot pepper
1/2 cup white or cider vinegar
1/16th teaspoon alum (optional, but makes them crispier)
1 clean new canning flat lid and any old ring to seal it with

Put the dill, salt, garlic, hot pepper, alum and vinegar in a clean, non-sterilized canning jar. Wash and slice the cucumbers as desired into slices, crinkle cuts, spears, or just slice the ends off each one and leave whole if they're small. Place them loosely in the jar, don't pack down tight if using slices.

Fill the jar with clean clear water. Use water that tastes good, not rusty or unsoftened water. If you don't have a softener and have bad water, use bottled water.

Put the lid on top of the jar and seal it down tight. Shake the jar until the salt dissolves. Look at the calendar and write the date one week from the date you're making these pickles on top of the jar. Take the jar outside and sit in full sun until that date, shaking the jar once a day. Then take them inside and they're ready to eat. Or put them in the basement for up to a year.

Don't know why this works, but they are great pickles! This recipe makes a spicy kosher dill, but if you leave out the garlic and hot pepper, they're still good.

And you can make them only one jar at a time if you don't have many cukes, instead of having to wait until you have 10 quarts, etc.

__________________
Sandy Burrell



Northern Tropics Greenhouse
1501 East Fuson Road
Muncie, IN 47302
www.northerntropics.com


specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~
check out our new online store at our website!

Kylie2x

WOW!!! I do alot of canning.. I will have to give this a go.. Sounds interesting.. I will have to send it to my DD as well so the Kids can join in the fun... THANKS!!!!
Kylie