Homemade dill pickles make a tasty snack or a great gift.
Dill pickles make a welcome addition to many sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers or are just a great snack on their own. Homemade pickles also make a great gift to give the host of a summer barbecue. You could easily pick up a jar of dill pickles at the grocery store, but pickles can be made at home. The main ingredient in making dill pickles at home is time. By combining cucumbers with salt, water and spices and allowing them time to ferment, homemade dill pickles can be made in your kitchen.
Instructions
1. Mix the salt and water in the pitcher, and stir to dissolve the salt. Remove any blossoms from the stems of the cucumbers. Rinse the cucumbers well and set aside.
2. Add peppercorns, red pepper flakes, crushed garlic, dill seed and and one bunch of fresh dill to the 1-gallon container. Place the cucumbers into the container. Pour the salt water over the cucumbers, covering them completely. Pour the remaining water into the 1-gallon zip-close bag, seal and place the plastic bag on the cucumbers, keeping them submerged. Put the container in a cool, dry spot.
3. Check on the container after three days to see if fermentation has begun. If there are bubbles rising to the top of the container, it is fermenting. Check the crock daily from this point onward and remove any scummy residue that forms. If there is residue on the plastic bag, remove the plastic bag, rinse and replace.
4. When the bubbles have ceased rising and the pickles have a sour taste, fermentation is done. This should take about six or seven days. When the pickles have fermented, cover the container loosely with plastic wrap and move to the refrigerator for at least three days, checking for and removing any scummy residue as needed. Pickles can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two months.
Tags: dill pickles, salt water, great gift, pickles have, pickles made