Garlic dill pickles.

What better thing to do with an abundance of cucumbers than to pickle them. The recipe below yields roughly 4 quarts of Garlic Dill Pickles.

What you need.

• 10 small pickles
• 8 cloves of garlic (halved)
• 4 tsp Dill Seed (1 tsp per quart size jar)
• 4 tsp Minced Garlic (1 tsp per quart size jar)
• 2 tsp Dill Weed (1/2 tsp per quart size jar)
• 2 tsp Mustard Seed (1/2 tsp per quart size jar)
• 2 jalepenos (quartered)
• 2 sprigs of fresh dill

Brine.

• 6 cups water
• 6 cups distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)
• 1/2 cup canning salt

Before beginning, be sure you have the necessary canning materials. You will need 4 quart size mason jars, canning tongs, a canning funnel, and a 21.5 qt canner with jar rack or something similar in addition to the ingredients listed above.

1. Carefully wash dirt of cucumbers. Then fill bucket up with cold water and ice. Place cucumbers in the bucket you just filled and let set for an hour or two. This helps with the pickles crispness. 
2. Divide the Dill Seed, Minced Garlic, Dill Weed, and Mustard Seed between the 4 quart sized jars.
3. In a large stainless steel pot or other nonreactive pot, bring the brine ingredients to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. While your brine is boiling, cut the ends of your cucumbers and cut them how you would like them cut. I cut mine into quarters. 
5. Place cut up cucumbers into your quart sized jar fitting them like a puzzle. Wedge 4 half garlic cloves and 2 quartered jalepenos in with the cucumbers.
6. Ladle hot brine into jars. Use a funnel to safely transfer the brine into each jar, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.
7. Use a stainless steel butter knife other nonreactive tool to eliminate any air bubbles trapped in the jar. Wipe rims of jars with a clean, dry towel. Place a canning lid on each jar and twist on the canning ring until it fits snug.
8. Carefully transfer lidded jars into your water bath using canning tongs. Process in water bath for 10 minutes. Note the 10 minutes does not start until your water is boiling.
9. Carefully remove the jars from water bath using canning tongs and placers on towel. Leave untouched for 12 hours.
10. Unsure lids sealed and lat pickles rest for 4 months before tasting,to give flavors a chance to meld together. Once seal is broke store in refrigerator.

Side notes.

• Cucumbers 3 inches or smaller is ideal. Some of my cucumbers were a bit larger than this. This allows you to pack the jar with 2 levels.
• Select the freshest, firmest cucumbers and plan to pickle them the same day. Freshness is the key to a crunchy pickle. Soaking them in ice cold water 1-2 hours before pickling helps with this as well.

- Farmer Jess