Post by Loupy on Jun 10, 2015 14:06:08 GMT -7
Bottled Dill Pickles ~ Hot water bath method
From: Tanya @ www.lovelygreens.com/
Dill Pickles... they're evocative of my childhood and weekends at Nana's house. Each summer my grandmother would carry out the ritual of preserving the garden surplus and of everything she made, pickles were my favorite. Her store room would be filled with bottles showcasing the colors of the rainbow and without fail there would always be at least a dozen quarts of sharp and crunchy gherkins ready for a little blonde headed girl to crack into.
To this day I still enjoy homemade pickles and not just for the nostalgia factor. They're a relatively simple preserve to make and some of the ingredients are easy to grow in most any temperate garden. For me they're one of the best ways as a kitchen gardener to connect the dots between all four seasons. From sowing seeds in the spring, to harvesting garlic, dill, and gherkins in the summer, to preserving the lot and enjoying them in the darkest days of winter. Each jar of pickles contains not only a savory treat but also a year's worth of experiences.
Ingredient quantities will vary based on how many quarts/pints of pickles you're making.
Ingredients:
Pickling cucumbers / Gherkins
1 Tbsp Dill leaves and 1-2 whole heads of Dill per quart
2 Whole Garlic cloves per quart
1/2 tsp Peppercorns per quart
Water
White Vinegar
Sea Salt / Kosher Salt / Preserving Salt
Preserving jars Kerr 1 Pint Canning Jar Regular Mouth 70610-00503 - 12 / CS
Preserving lids* Tattler Reusable Regular Size Canning Lids or regular metal lids
Instructions:
1. Sterilize your preserving jars with either boiling water or by placing them in an oven at 130°C/265°F for thirty minutes.
Whatever your method of sterilization, allow the jars to cool before packing them with your ingredients.
While they're cooling, take your jar's lids and place them in bowl of boiling hot water.
Leave them there until you need to fit them onto the jars.
2. Wash your gherkins and start packing them into your jars.
If they're small, pop them in whole but if medium to large cut them into slices.
This helps to get more into the jar and also for easier serving once the jar is opened.
For each quart of pickles you'll add half a teaspoon of black peppercorns, two whole garlic cloves and plenty of dill.
3. Make the brine: for approximately every four quarts of tightly packed gherkins you'll need to heat together two quarts of water with one quart of white vinegar along with your choice of a full cup of the specified salt types.
Let this cool until warm and then pour into each of the jars, filling to a centimeter (just less than 1/2") below the top of the jar's brim.
4. Clean the tops of the jars then fit on your preserving lids and screw the rings on.
Most every preserving recipe will tell you to not over-tighten the rings but in my experience I've found that it's best to twist them on fully but not super tight.
If they're too loose then the contents of your jars can leak out in the water bath.
5. Place a metal preserving rack or towel at the bottom of a deep preserving pan and then place the jars inside.
The jars should be at least an inch apart and the pan needs to be deep enough to have the jars inside with over an inch of water comfortably covering the tops.
6. Cover the jars with warm/hot water from the tap then bring the pan to a boil.
Boil the jars for fifteen minutes then lift them out of the water.
If you're using a towel at the bottom of the pan then you'll need a 'jar lifter' tool available at many kitchen shops.
Set the jars on the counter and allow to cool. You'll know that the jars are properly sealed when you hear the lids popping.
7. Allow the pickles to infuse with the brine for at least two weeks before eating them.
Stored in jars in a cool pantry your pickles will last up to two years, though I doubt you'll be able to let them sit there that long!
Enjoy ~
From: Tanya @ www.lovelygreens.com/
Dill Pickles... they're evocative of my childhood and weekends at Nana's house. Each summer my grandmother would carry out the ritual of preserving the garden surplus and of everything she made, pickles were my favorite. Her store room would be filled with bottles showcasing the colors of the rainbow and without fail there would always be at least a dozen quarts of sharp and crunchy gherkins ready for a little blonde headed girl to crack into.
To this day I still enjoy homemade pickles and not just for the nostalgia factor. They're a relatively simple preserve to make and some of the ingredients are easy to grow in most any temperate garden. For me they're one of the best ways as a kitchen gardener to connect the dots between all four seasons. From sowing seeds in the spring, to harvesting garlic, dill, and gherkins in the summer, to preserving the lot and enjoying them in the darkest days of winter. Each jar of pickles contains not only a savory treat but also a year's worth of experiences.
Ingredient quantities will vary based on how many quarts/pints of pickles you're making.
Ingredients:
Pickling cucumbers / Gherkins
1 Tbsp Dill leaves and 1-2 whole heads of Dill per quart
2 Whole Garlic cloves per quart
1/2 tsp Peppercorns per quart
Water
White Vinegar
Sea Salt / Kosher Salt / Preserving Salt
Preserving jars Kerr 1 Pint Canning Jar Regular Mouth 70610-00503 - 12 / CS
Preserving lids* Tattler Reusable Regular Size Canning Lids or regular metal lids
Instructions:
1. Sterilize your preserving jars with either boiling water or by placing them in an oven at 130°C/265°F for thirty minutes.
Whatever your method of sterilization, allow the jars to cool before packing them with your ingredients.
While they're cooling, take your jar's lids and place them in bowl of boiling hot water.
Leave them there until you need to fit them onto the jars.
2. Wash your gherkins and start packing them into your jars.
If they're small, pop them in whole but if medium to large cut them into slices.
This helps to get more into the jar and also for easier serving once the jar is opened.
For each quart of pickles you'll add half a teaspoon of black peppercorns, two whole garlic cloves and plenty of dill.
3. Make the brine: for approximately every four quarts of tightly packed gherkins you'll need to heat together two quarts of water with one quart of white vinegar along with your choice of a full cup of the specified salt types.
Let this cool until warm and then pour into each of the jars, filling to a centimeter (just less than 1/2") below the top of the jar's brim.
4. Clean the tops of the jars then fit on your preserving lids and screw the rings on.
Most every preserving recipe will tell you to not over-tighten the rings but in my experience I've found that it's best to twist them on fully but not super tight.
If they're too loose then the contents of your jars can leak out in the water bath.
5. Place a metal preserving rack or towel at the bottom of a deep preserving pan and then place the jars inside.
The jars should be at least an inch apart and the pan needs to be deep enough to have the jars inside with over an inch of water comfortably covering the tops.
6. Cover the jars with warm/hot water from the tap then bring the pan to a boil.
Boil the jars for fifteen minutes then lift them out of the water.
If you're using a towel at the bottom of the pan then you'll need a 'jar lifter' tool available at many kitchen shops.
Set the jars on the counter and allow to cool. You'll know that the jars are properly sealed when you hear the lids popping.
7. Allow the pickles to infuse with the brine for at least two weeks before eating them.
Stored in jars in a cool pantry your pickles will last up to two years, though I doubt you'll be able to let them sit there that long!
Enjoy ~
