Homemade dill pickles: step by step
We got five little pickling cucumbers in our CSA share this week, as well as a bunch of green onions, so I decided to make dill pickles. You don't need much else: just some dill seeds, garlic, and a brine of apple cider vinegar, water, and salt. I sliced my cucumbers into spears, but you could cut them into any shape you like.
First, make your brine. The amount you need will depend on how many cucumbers you're pickling, the size of the jar(s) you're using, and stuff like that. I used a base recipe of 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 3/4 cup water, and 2 tsp kosher salt. It was more than I needed for my little batch, but I'd rather make a little extra than find out I don't have enough! All you do to make the brine is combine those three ingredients in a saucepan and bring it to a boil.
While you're waiting for the brine to boil, peel the garlic cloves and slice the green onions (white parts only). Put the garlic, sliced onions, and 2 tsp of dill seed in the bottom of your jar. If you're using two jars, just divide them evenly. If you have way more cucumbers than I did, you'll want more of these flavorings--adjust according to your own taste. Once the flavorings are in the jar, pack in your cukes. You want them to fit tightly, but not so tightly that they're crushing each other. Like this:
If you are like me and keep a collection of old jars at the top of one of your kitchen cupboards to use in just this sort of situation, you may need to get a few different jars down and test their fit. You'll want a little room at the top of the jar, too.
By this point, your brine is probably boiling. Pour it into the jar, leaving about 1/4 inch of headspace at the top. Pop the lid on and let the jar cool on the counter. Once it's cooled to room temperature, it's ready for the fridge. Give the pickles at least a day to cure before eating. And that's it! Easy!
[Note: These pickles have not been canned, so they aren't shelf-stable. You could process them in a water bath if you wanted to, but you would lose some crispness. For a batch as small as this one, there's no point in canning it anyway. They'll keep in the fridge for at least a month or two, but they can't be stored at room temperature.]