Quick fresh-pack dill pickles

1 Recipe

Ingredients

QuantityIngredient
8poundsPickling cucumbers (3- to 5-inch size)
2gallonsWater
cupCanning or pickling salt*
quartVinegar (5 percent)
¼cupSugar
2quartsWater
2tablespoonsWhole mixed pickling spice
3tablespoonsWhole mustard seed
14Heads fresh dill; OR...
tablespoonDill seed
1,001 - 6,000 ft: 15 min.
Above 6,000 ft: 20 min.
1,001 - 6,000 ft: 20 min.
Above 6,000 ft: 25 min.

Directions

Yield: 7 to 9 pints

Procedure: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch slice off blossom end and discard, but leave ¼-inch of stem attached. Dissolve ¾ cup salt in 2 gals water. Pour over cucumbers and let stand 12 hours. Drain.

Combine vinegar, ½ cup salt, sugar and 2 quarts water. Add mixed pickling spices tied in a clean white cloth. Heat to boiling. Fill jars with cucumbers. Add 1 tsp mustard seed and 1-½ heads fresh dill per pint. Cover with boiling pickling solution, leaving ½-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process according to the recommendations in Table 1 or use the low-temperature pasteurization treatment. (For more information see "Low-Temperature Pasteurization Treatment".) Table 1. Recommended process time for Quick Fresh-Pack Dill Pickles in a boiling-water canner.

Style of Pack: Raw. Jar Size: Pints. Process Time at Altitudes of 0 - 1,000 ft: 10 min.

Style of Pack: Raw. Jar Size: Quarts. Process Time at Altitudes of 0 ~ 1,000 ft: 15 min.

======================================================= === * USDA Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539 (rev. 1994) * Meal-Master format courtesy of Karen Mintzias