Dill Pickles
 
Makes aboout 8 pints
Ingredients
  • 3 pounds pickling cucumbers
  • ¾ cup pickling salt
  • 4 cups white vinegar
  • 3½ cups water
  • 8 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 4 teaspoons dill seeds
  • 8 fresh dill sprigs, or 4 teaspoons dried dill
  • Black peppercorns
Instructions
  1. Rinse the cucumbers in cold water. Cut a thin slice off the blossom end of each cucumber. If you can’t tell which end is the blossom end, just remove a thin slice from each end. Discard or compost the ends.
  2. Place the cucumbers in a large nonreactive bowl, such as glass or ceramic. Add ½ cup of the salt, cover with water, stir to combine, and cover loosely with a kitchen cloth. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to cool for at least 8 hours.
  3. Drain the cucumbers and rinse them well under cold water. At this point, you may leave them whole, halve them, or cut them into quarters. (If planning to make Fried Dill Pickles with Sorghum Mayo, leave cucumbers whole.) Set aside.
  4. Fill a canner or large stockpot with water, place eight pint jars inside, and set over medium-high heat. Bring just to the boiling point.
  5. Bring the vinegar, water, and the remaining ¼ cup salt to a boil in a medium pot. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Transfer the brine to a pourable, spouted container, such as a heatproof measuring cup, if desired.
  6. Using a jar lifter, remove the hot jars from the canner and place on top of a kitchen cloth on the counter. Place 1 garlic clove, ½ teaspoon dill seeds, 1 fresh dill sprig or ½ teaspoon dried dill, and 8 peppercorns in each jar. With the help of a canning funnel, pack the reserved cucumbers into the jars, topped off by the brine, reserving ½ inch headspace.
  7. Use a spatula or wooden chopstick to remove any trapped air bubbles around the interior circumference of the jars. Wipe the rims clean with a damp cloth. Place on the lids and screw bands, tightening only until fingertip-tight.
  8. Again using a jar lifter, slowly place the filled jars in the canner. Be sure that the jars are covered by at least 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil, and then process for 10 minutes, starting the timer once the water is at a full, rolling boil. Adjust for altitude as needed.
  9. Turn off the heat. Remove jars and place directly on a kitchen towel. Let cool, untouched, for several hours. Retighten lid bands, if needed, and store in a cool, dark place.
Recipe by Taste of the South at https://tasteofthesouthmagazine.com/fried-dill-pickles-sorghum-mayo/