Are you Pickle Picky? Do you like fresh, crunchy, dills with a bit of zing? Then you are in the right place. Gone are the days of spending $8 or more on a fancy pint of pickles! I loved getting specialty jars from my favorite farmers markets, but sometimes the product was hit or miss. It seems that everyone has their own take on what makes a pickle “the best” but if you like that cold fresh garlicky dill crunch, you are in for an easy and inexpensive treat!
Pickle Picking Favorites
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Maybe I am a pickle snob, but that’s okay with me. I don’t want my pickles mushy and over cooked; I don’t really want my pickles cooked at all! I don’t want them filled with weird ingredients or dyes either. I want a fresh crispy cold crunchy cucumber, pickled to perfection. I have been making my own pickles for over a year now and can’t imagine ever going back to store bought pickles. With summer right around the corner, and bar-b-ques on every weekend, it’s the perfect time to try out your pickle pucker!
Cucumbers; What Kind and Does Size Matter?
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There is a specific type of cucumber called a “pickling cucumber”. These are my go-to. I have had great success with English cucumbers and Persian cucumbers as well. Salad cukes with the dark skin and waxy coating aren’t really the best pickles to use for this recipe. The water content in these cucumbers is a bit high and they have a lot of seeds too. Additionally, they have a coating of wax covering the skin which prevents absorption of all the pickley goodness you will want to add to your pickles. Depending on how you choose to chop, determines the best personal pickle size.
Do I Need Any Special Equipment or Ingredients?
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Nope. You don’t need anything special for pickle making. However, you will need some basic kitchen tools. A cutting board, a good sharp knife, and some glass jars are the basics. If you plan to make a lot, a mandolin slicer is a very useful tool, but certainly not necessary. Mine has a nice guard to protect my little fingers while slicing and it also has options for different thicknesses and the ability to add a little wavy pattern to my cucumbers, which I personally love. As for ingredients, you likely already have most of them on hand.
So, What’s the Recipe Then?
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I’m so glad you asked!
Let’s talk ingredients:
Cucumbers (about 6 medium pickling cucumbers will do the trick)
Salt, non-iodized kosher salt is best here, pickling salt is also an option
White Vinegar I just use the plain kind, but pickling vinegar is an option too
Dried or Fresh Dill, I use dried
Fresh minced garlic, this is optional, but I always add it
Other optional ingredients:
Red pepper flakes
Black whole peppercorns
Red Onions (fun fact, you can use this recipe to make pickled red onions and other veggie varieties too!)
Get creative!
Ratios you need to know:
For each one cup of vinegar, I add one cup of water, one tablespoon of dried dill, one tablespoon of minced garlic, and one tablespoon of salt.
This makes for very easy doubling or halving, but to be honest I usually double if not triple this recipe!
Steps:
Wash your pickles under cold water to remove any dirt
Sanitize your jar in boiling water or the dishwasher and set it aside
Slice your cucumbers: thick or thin, rounds or spears this I leave up to you (I also like to remove the ends)
Add the cucumbers to your glass jar
In a saucepan, add 1 cup of water, 1 tbsp each: dill, salt and garlic and gently heat until the salt is fully dissolved
Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the 1 cup of vinegar. Give everything a good stir.
Pour this over your sliced cucumbers, cap the jar, and leave it on the counter until it is cooled off. Once cooled, stick in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
There you have it! The best pickle recipe you could ever make!
I have used these in sandwiches, salads (my cheeseburger salad is the best), on a buffalo chicken pizza, burgers, fried pickles and more!
About the Author
Tricia is a dedicated writer, working towards earning her BA in Creative Writing and English. As an avid reader, Tricia constantly seeks new literary adventures, drawing inspiration from the diverse narratives she encounters. When not immersed in literature, she indulges her passions for painting, hiking, kayaking, and gardening. She also prioritizes spending time with family and her dog, Dove. Using her downtime to paint and explore the outdoors with family and pets is what renews Tricia’s enthusiasm for writing more each day. If you are interested in seeing creative writing content you can check it out here.
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