Categories: Canning & Pickling, Czech Family Recipes

Ingredients

• --BRINE FOR 3 QUARTS OF PICKLES
• 1 1/4 quarts distilled water
• 1/2 cup white vinegar 90 to 100 grain or 10% acidity
• 1/4 cup canning & pickling salt
• -
• --BRINE FOR 6 QUARTS OF PICKLES
• 2 1/2 quarts distilled water
• 1 cup white vinegar 90-100 grain or 10% acidity
• 1/2 cup canning & pickling salt
• -
• --OTHER INGREDIENTS:
• 2 large cloves garlic cut in half per quart
• 1/4 medium onion, per quart
• 1 head fresh dill OR 1 heaping teaspoon dill seed, per quart
• 1 to 2 dried or fresh ARBOL peppers, (optional) per quart

Directions

1. NOTES: Always use FRESH cucumbers. Soak in sink full of cold water for 2 hours prior to washing & packing into jars. The water MUST be distilled water, available at any grocery store. The vinegar SHOULD be 90-100 grain or 10% acidity. This is not easy to find…I get mine in a little country store outside of Temple, Tx. You might find some in some local country stores? (maybe Whole Foods?) The salt MUST be canning & pickling salt. The peppers are optional…but we love them. You can find the Arbol peppers in most local groceries. Brookshires in Terrell has them fresh and dried. Brookshires in Forney has them dried in the Mexican spice specialty area in the produce department. These are NOT very hot peppers. If you don’t have dill growing, then you can use dill seeds or a combination of seeds and a couple of the baby dill fronds that you can buy in the produce section where fresh herbs are sold. Your caner and all canning books will tell you to boil for 20 minutes after you drop into liquid. My mother and my Aunt always said boil 10-15 minutes or just until the pickles change color.

2. Make sure your jars are clean, I place in the dishwasher to sterilize.

3. Drop the garlic, onion, dill or dill seeds and peppers into jar.

4. Pack very tightly your clean washed cucumbers into the jars…tightly!!! (To wash cucumbers…after they have soaked in cold water…take a vegetable brush and scrub each cucumber. Toss into the other side of your sink or into a bucket that has been filled with clean fresh cold water. Leave the cucumbers in the water until you grab one to put into your jar.) If your cucumbers are large, you can cut into spears.

5. Bring your brine ingredients to a boil.

6. Pour boiling brine over the packed cucumbers, place lid and ring on tightly and place in boiling hot water bath.

7. Start counting time from the time you drop the jars into the boiling water…boil for 10-15 minutes.

8. Remove and cool until the lid “seals”.

9. Store in a cool, dark place for 4 weeks. Chill…EAT!!

10. If a jar does not seal it will still be good. Just store in the fridge for a few weeks…then you can eat.

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