Dill Pickles

From Compassion Garden: Cucumbers, dill pickles, and bread and butter pickles.

I've had several people ask for the dill pickle recipe I use for the bushels of cucumbers that are coming from the Compassion Garden these days. So far I've made 2 gallons of dill pickles and 4 gallons of bread and butter pickles in addition to all the fresh cucumbers people have taken. It has been a great year for the cucumber harvest. Both the pickles I make for the compassion garden table are a refrigerator pickle and will keep for a month or longer.


Refrigerator Dill pickle chips

2 pounds cucumbers
3 Tablespoons canning salt or other course salt
2 cups distilled white vinegar
3 cups water
1 tablespoon dill seed or 2 heads of dill seed
4 garlic cloves
¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper
2 bunches of fresh dill, coarsely chopped

Cut cucumbers into ½ inch rounds into a colander set into a bowl. Toss well with salt and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Rinse Cucumbers well and transfer to a large bowl or ½ gallon glass jar. Add chopped dill to cucumbers in bowl or jar and toss to distribute.

Bring water, vinegar, seed, garlic, and red pepper to a boil and simmer for 4 minutes. Let cool slightly for 10 minutes. Pour over cucumber slices and place in refrigerator for at least one week. Will keep a month.