How To Make Dill Pickles: Easy Recipe

September 7, 2024 Super User

A good pickle is something that can add sizzle to your Cuban sandwich or hotdog sandwich. It can also give you a crunchy finger food, packed with vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, and other beneficial minerals and vitamins. Instead of opting for commercially available dill pickles, you can make your very own homemade dill pickles. It’s easy!

The Cucumber

The obvious star of the recipe is cucumber. There are different varieties of this vegetable that it is easy to overlook the best type for pickling. In the supermarket, you can see sections where they sell pickling cucumbers. These are the best types for making a dill pickle recipe. One of the most common type of pickling cucumbers is Kirby. Another option is Persian cucumbers. These retain their crunch after getting soaked in the briny pickling solution.

While the main ingredient in this recipe is the cucumber, you can always experiment with other vegetables. For example, carrots, green beans, okra, and garlic scapes make excellent alternatives to cucumbers. Some may also add bell peppers, papaya, unripe mangoes, and others. Regardless of what ingredient you use in your recipe, make sure that it feels firm and ripe. Do not use wrinkled or limp veggies.

The Dill

In learning how to make dill pickles, you should have access to the freshest dill herbs you can find. This is an herb that belongs to the same family as celery and parsley. The feathery greens have a sweet, grassy flavor that tastes like a cross between licorice and anise. The dill heads turn to flower. It is best to use them in your dill pickle recipe before they “bolt.” Otherwise, you will get a more bitter and less aromatic pickle.

You can also use the dill seeds if you want. They can provide your pickles with a taste of mild caraway. Either way, you can expect the dill to enhance the flavor of the cucumber as it ages.

As a flavoring for your canned or refrigerator dill pickles, it is often wise to consider other seasonings. Don’t be afraid to try celery seed, mustard seed, black peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and garlic cloves. As long as you have dill in the recipe, then you should have nothing to worry about.

The Brine

The pickling solution almost always involves water, vinegar, and salt. When it comes to the choice of vinegar, most will recommend the white variety. This will require a smaller proportion of vinegar compared to water. Some advocate the use of apple cider vinegar since it has a “tamer” acidity than white vinegar. Everything depends on your personal preferences. You can also use sugar cane vinegar or rice vinegar if you like.

Recipe for Refrigerator Dill Pickles

This recipe is perfect for individuals who cannot wait at least 3 weeks to get the right flavor of their pickles. It is also one of the easiest ways to pickle cucumbers without the need for additional jar preparations. This is ideal for those who are after the crunch of the cucumbers, while still savoring the fruits of the pickling process.

Ingredients

2 heads of fresh dill
4 cups of fresh cucumber spears
3.5 cups of water
1.25 cups of white vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, whole
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of sea salt

Directions

Put a medium-sized saucepan over the stove and pour the water. Add the vinegar, sea salt, and sugar. Mix well to help dissolve the sugar and salt. Turn on the stove and put it on high heat. Let it boil for a few minutes before turning off the stove. Let the solution cool down.
Get a large plastic container or a sterilized glass jar. Place the fresh dill inside the container or jar and arrange the cucumber spears. Squeeze in the garlic cloves. Pour the now-cooled water-vinegar solution into the cucumber-dill mixture. Cover the container or the glass jar with a tight lid. Put in the refrigerator and store for about 7 days.

Recipe for Classic Processed Dill Pickles

This is the classic way of pickling cucumbers or any other vegetable for that matter. It produces softer textured pickles and can last several months in storage, unopened. Like refrigerator dill pickles, it is also very easy to make.