Homemade Dill Pickles | Erica Robbin
Yum!
I love pickles! My favorite is the Vlasic kosher dill. Their crunchy, tangy, bit of garlic flavor makes for the best ending snack to any craving.
And they’re so yummy in grilled cheese. See the Food Wishes Inside-Out Grilled Cheese Sandwich below for how to prepare the best grilled cheese).
I was longing for the kosher dill dynamic flavor and couldn’t find them in country. Since I had so many cucumbers from my garden harvest, oodles and oodles of them, I decided to make my own. They turned out so crunchy and delicious!
Pickles are so much easier to make than I thought they would be!
I used Suyo long cucumber variety, leaving some of the baby cucumbers whole, some I cut into chips, others into spears.
There’s no canning involved in this recipe and they can be ready in 1 hour, but of course the longer they set in the refrigerator, the more punchy they will be. Though the punchiness will be at the cost of softening over time.
Credit: ericarobbin.com
Ingredients
- HOMEMADE DILL PICKLES:
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar (to desired taste)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns (or 1/2 teaspoon black ground pepper)
- 1/4 teaspoon whole fennel seed (optional)
- 1 head garlic (to desired taste)
- 2 large cucumbers, sliced to desired shape of rounds, spears, or leave babies whole
- 5-6 sprigs fresh dill, lightly torn
- 1/4 cup onion (white, yellow, or red)
- Enough water to fill remainder of jar(s)
Directions
- HOMEMADE DILL PICKLES:
- Bring vinegars, sugar, salt, pepper, fennel, and garlic to a boil, stirring often, turn off heat, allow to cool.
- In a clean jar (rinsed thoroughly with boiling water), layer cucumber, dill, and onion. Don’t pack too tightly as you want the cucumbers to be suspended, allowing the brine to be in direct contact with all surfaces of the cucumber.
- Add brine mixture.
- Fill remaining space in jar with water, ensuring everything is covered with brine mixture.
- Refrigerate for at least one hour or for a 2-4 weeks.
The first blossom is always so exciting!
The female flower giving rise to fruit. Soon the little baby cucumber will grow to the size of a snacking cucumber.
One of my first harvests. The Suyo has a characteristic shape, becoming long and curling. It’s probably my most favorite variety of cucumber, being fresh tasting as a cucumber should and not bitter.
I’ve never had a grilled cheese sandwich so incredibly rich and satisfying!
Have you ever tried making homemade pickles before?
What is your favorite type? Dill, kosher dill, or sweet?
And yes I left the label on this pickle jar in case you were wondering.
