My Grandmother’s Old Fashioned Sour Pickles
Posted by The Food Preservation Experts in Uncategorized
My Grandmother's Pickles
Of all the precious memories I have of my childhood on my grandparent’s Kansas farm, the aroma and taste of Grandma’s old fashioned sour pickles just stayed with me through the years. When I decided to try my hand at preserving food I retrieved the recipe and have shared it over and over, so, here we go one more time. You enjoy! The pleasure is all mine!
MY GRANDMOTHER’S OLD FASHIONED SOUR PICKLES
DIRECTIONS FOR ABOUT 8 QUARTS OF PICKLES
The night before, wash about 60 small to medium cucumbers.
Place them in a large enamel, glass or stainless steel container
or crock. Cover with water to which you have added and mixed
in 3/4 cup to l cup of pickling salt.
The next morning, rinse the cucumbers and let dry on towels.
Wash and sterilize 8 to 10 quart-size canning jars.
Make sure there are no chips or nicks on the rims. I prefer
wide-mouth jars.
In the bottom of each jar place 2-3 cloves of garlic (peeled), one small
red hot pepper ( or a couple of slices of jalapeno pepper) and a generous
handful of dill. Fresh is best, but dried works great too. Use just
the top half of the plant, or the entire stem…you choose.
Add the cucumbers to the jars in an upright position. You can
keep packing some dill as you go, or add another generous
handfull on top after you’ve packed the cukes in. Wipe the
jar rims with a clean wet cloth.
Now the brine………In a large enamel or stainless pot bring to
a boil one quart of good cider vinegar, 3 quarts of water and
3/4 cup of pickling salt.
Put lids and rims in boiling water and keep them hot.
Carefully fill jars one at a time with simmering brine to 1/2 inch
from the top. Wipe jar rim clean and place lid on the jar. Gently
screw on rim to a firm, but not tight fit. Place finished jars
close together on a clean towel and cover with several
thicknesses of towels (like a tent) to keep warm until
the jars seal (you will hear the familiar “pop”). You now have
8 beautiful jars of the most delicious pickles you will ever
eat….period.
More tips: You can water bath your pickles if you like. I never
have. You can make these pickles in a crock buy placing all the
ingredients in a large crock, placing a plate to keep the pickles
in the brine and covering with a cloth to keep out pests. A scum
will form as the pickles ferment in a warm place. Do as Grandma
did…..reach in, get one, wash it off and enjoy!
More tips: Canning pickles does occasionly have it’s hurdles, like
a jar that refuses to seal. Simply put it in your fridge and eat it
first. If you really have a sealing problem it is possible to go back
and replace the lids, then water bath for about 25 minutes.
More tips: Get and use the right equipent. I use a 2 cup plastic
mixing cup with pouring spout to transfer the brine to the jars,
and tongs to remove lide and rings from the hot water.
The whole process will be more enjoyable and successful if you
have organized everything you will need and be very sure everything
is as clean as possible.
More tips: For the best possible results, use pickling cukes,
not those for slicing. And, always use pickling salt, not
table salt. Table salt can make your pickles soft and mushy.
Yuk! Also make sure your enamel canning equipment is free
of any damage to the enamel itself.
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