Uncle Jim’s Pickle Recipe

Ingredients

• Pickling cucumbers (roughly a pound per quart jar depending on size)
• 3 Quarts Filtered water (Filtered makes a difference)
• 1 Quart distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)
• 1 Cup Pickling salt (up to 25% less is acceptable)
• Dill and garlic to taste - Peppercorns, mustard seed, peppers, pickling spice, and other optional stuff

Instructions

1. Put water, vinegar, and salt in a large, non-reactive pot and bring to a boil.
2. Clean and sterilize jars and boil lids for a couple of minutes.
3. Fill jars with appropriate amounts of dill, garlic, and other optional stuff and pack with cucumbers. Wide mouth quart jars are easiest.
4. Pour boiling mixture into jars, cap and seal.
5. Put filled jars in a boiling water canner, covered with water for 8 minutes (5 minutes for Dilly Beans). Cool and check seals.

Notes

On 8/20-21/2011, we picked 90 lbs. of cucumbers and about 8 lbs. of beans. The cucumbers were smaller than in recent years but made the best-looking pickles ever. Variations include using malt or cider vinegar. Cider vinegar is also fine, but less preferred.

This recipe has evolved over 10-12 years. Changes in timing and ingredients like the type of vinegar and beans have been noted to affect the outcome significantly.

In 2013, we tried Dilly beans with an ice bath and no blanch. The recipe used was 2 ½ quarts water to 1 ½ quarts vinegar.