Simple Canning Recipe for Dill Pickles
Canning cucumbers is easier than you think! This simple canning recipe for dill pickles requires only a handful of ingredients and is the best recipe to use up all those garden cucumbers.
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Overnight Soak
- 8 lbs of 3- to 5-inch pickling cucumbers
- 3/4 cup canning or pickling salt
- 2 gallons water
For the Brine
- 2 quarts water
- 6 cups 5% acidity white vinegar
- 1/4 cup cane sugar
- 1/4 cup canning or pickling salt
- 2 tablespoons whole pickling spice, tied in a clean white cloth, like cheesecloth
For Packing the Pickles
- 7-9 teaspoons mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon per jar
- 7-9 sprigs fresh dill weed
- 7-9 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (1 sliced clove per jar)
- 7-9 sterilized pint jars
Instructions
- Wash cucumbers and slice into chips, around 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick, discarding the blossom end of each cucumber. Dissolve 3/4 cup salt in 2 gallons of water and pour over the cucumbers. Let stand for 12 hours, then drain and discard the soak.
- Combine the vinegar, sugar, and remaining 2 quarts water and 1/2 cup salt in a large pot, then add the pickling spices tied in a clean white cloth. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt, then keep hot.
- While the mixture is boiling, fill sterilized jars with the prepared cucumbers. To each jar, add 1 teaspoon of mustard seed, 1 head of fresh dill, and 1 sliced garlic clove.
- Pour the boiling pickling solution, leaving ½-inch headspace. Depending on the thickness of your cucumber, you should get 7-9 pints. Wipe the rims clean, and seal with the lids and bands.
- Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.* Remove jars and let them sit undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Confirm each lid has sealed, then store jars in a cool, dark place. I like to wait about 3 weeks before opening so the flavor develops more!
Notes
*10 minutes is for 0-1000 feet above sea level; for 1,001 - 6,000 ft, process for 15 minutes, and above 6,000 ft, process for 20 minutes.
This recipe makes 7-9 pint jars.
The added salt in the brine, 1/2 cup, is safety-neutral and therefore can be reduced or left out without affecting safety. If you need lower-salt pickles, then reduce or omit the salt in the brine.
Cucumbers have a softening enzyme in the blossom end, so discard it before adding the cucumbers to your jars to enjoy crisper pickles!
Nutrition
Serving: 1pint jarCalories: 102kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.5gSodium: 1737mgPotassium: 526mgFiber: 3gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 316IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 88mgIron: 1mg