Dill Pickles

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.02

Title: Dill Pickles
Categories: Canning, Pickles
Yield: 1 gallon

4 lb Pickling cucumbers
-(4-inch size)
2 tb Dill seed; OR...
4 -Heads dill weed
-(fresh or dried)
1/2 c Salt
1/4 c Vinegar (5 percent)
8 c Water
-PLUS one or more
-of the following:
2 Garlic cloves (optional)
2 Dried red peppers (optional)
2 ts Whole mixed pickling spices
-(optional)

Use the quantities given above for each gallon capacity of your
container.

Procedure: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch slice off blossom end and
discard. Leave 1/4-inch of stem attached. Place half of dill and spices
on bottom of a clean, suitable container. (For more information on
containers see "Suitable Containers, Covers, and Weights for Fermenting
Food".) Add cucumbers, remaining dill, and spices. Dissolve salt in
vinegar and water and pour over cucumbers. Add suitable cover and
weight. Store where temperature is between 70 degrees F and 75 degrees F
for about 3 to 4 weeks while fermenting. Temperatures of 55 degrees to
65 degrees F are acceptable, but the fermentation will take 5 to 6
weeks. Avoid temperatures above 80 degrees F, or pickles will become too
soft during fermentation. Fermenting pickles cure slowly. Check the
container several times a week and promptly remove surface scum or mold.
Caution: If the pickles become soft, slimy, or develop a disagreeable
odor, discard them. Fully fermented pickles may be stored in the
original container for about 4 to 6 months, provided they are refri
gerated and surface scum and molds are removed regularly. Canning fully
fermented pickles is a better way to store them. To can them, pour the
brine into a pan, heat slowly to a boil, and simmer 5 minutes. Filter
brine through paper coffee filters to reduce cloudiness, if desired.
Fill jar with pickles and hot brine, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust
lids and process as recommended in Table 1, or use the low-temperature
pasteurization treatment described below.

The following treatment results in a better product texture but must be
carefully managed to avoid possible spoilage. Place jars in a canner
filled half way with warm (120 degree to 140 degree F) water. Then,
add hot water to a level 1 inch above jars. Heat the water enough to
maintain 180 degrees to 185 degrees F water temperature for 30 minutes.
Check with a candy or jelly thermometer to be certain that the water
temperature is at least 180 degrees F during the entire 30 minutes.
Temperatures higher than 185 degrees F may cause unnecessary softening
of pickles.

Table 1. Recommended process time for Dill Pickles in a boiling-water
canner.

Style of Pack: Raw. Jar Size: Pints.
Process Time at Altitudes of 0 - 1,000 ft: 10 min.
1,001 - 6,000 ft: 15 min.
Above 6,000 ft: 20 min.

Style of Pack: Raw. Jar Size: Quarts.
Process Time at Altitudes of 0 - 1,000 ft: 15 min.
1,001 - 6,000 ft: 20 min.
Above 6,000 ft: 25 min.

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* USDA Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539 (rev. 1994)
* Meal-Master format courtesy of Karen Mintzias

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