Thursday, July 30, 2009

German Dill Pickle Recipe


















This is a family recipe that has been in Michael's family for awhile now. My MIL got it from her great aunt. People who love pickles absolutely go crazy over these. Now I'm not a pickle person (I only fish out the pickled garlic) so canning these things is an act of love for my family and friends. I really do enjoy it because I know how much they all love these pickles and it is way healthier than the buying them at the store. We usually make some with barely any spice, some medium spicy and some really hot. The kids beg for these pickles and even like the veggies that go in with them. Last time we canned 47 quart jars in one day. That was enough pickles to get us through two years. These make wonderful gifts, too. I've vacuumed sealed these and sent them to Iraq several times.

German Dill Pickles Recipe:
For one quart jar you'll need:
3 slices onion
3 slices green pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1 clove of garlic (we like to put at least 4 cloves in every jar)
1 small dried hot red pepper (more or less depending on how hot you want it)
1 head fresh dill (or 1 Tbl dry dill seeds)
pickling cukes (as many as you can stuff in the jar)

Pack in jars. Put 2 onion rings, 2 green pepper rings, half the garlic, half the pepper, all the spices on the bottom. Pack with pickling cukes. Top with 1 onion ring, 1 green pepper ring, half the garlic and half the pepper.

Brine:
Boil 4 quarts water and
1 quart apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cup pickling salt (the original recipe is really salty, so we like to cut the salt down to 1 cup)

Pour into jars leaving adequate head space. Heat in canner for 10 minutes. Do not boil! Let pickles sit for at least six weeks before opening.

Rough estimate of how much ingredients you'll need for 25 lbs of cukes:
1 gallon apple cider vinegar
1 box of pickling salt
1 pkg bay leaves
6 green peppers
6 onions
1 box/sack mustard seed
1 to 2 dill fresh stalks
6 heads garlic
1 to 2 packages of dried hot red peppers

17 comments:

Catherine said...

Mmmmmm, sounds yummeh! I don't do pickles anymore, but will tell people who do. 47 quarts of pickles is a lot of vinegar...and the other ingredients too, of course.

Regina @VestPocketFamilyFarm said...

Vacuum seal? How does that work for preservation?

blessedmomof3 said...

I LOVE dill pickles! Bob can't stand them at all. Never have made any though.

Cheesemakin' Mamma said...

Regina,
After the pickles have been canned for at least 6 weeks, if I want to send some in the mail, I drain them really good, put a paper towel along the edge of the bag I'm putting them in and vaccuum seal them on the moist setting. Some vaccuum sealers don't have that option, my new one does. The pickles seem to do fine with no air getting to them.

LovlyRitah@aol.com said...

Hello from North Carolina! This recipe sounds really good but I am wanting to only make a small batch.....maybe 3 or 4 jars of pickles. I've never canned before so could I just put the pickles and other ingredients in the boiled water and vinegar without sealing the lids? I sure don't want to get botulism! We eat pickles all the time so they wouldn't be around for too long in the refrigerator.

Cheesemakin' Mamma said...

Hello, LovlyRitah! Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. The problem with just leaving them in the fridge without processing the pickles, is that they need to sit for at least 6 weeks to cure. I'm not sure if they would still be good. Processing them is really easy and you can cut this recipe down if you want to do just a few pickles at a time. Hope that helps!

Paula said...

To seal the jars you say don't boil. I'm confused. Any time I've made pickles you put them in a hot water bath that is at a good rolling boil. Could you explain?

I love this recipe since you give the ingredients per jar. Then I can make as many as I have cucumbers for.

Cheesemakin' Mamma said...

Paula,
The jars will seal even without actually boiling them. Make sure the water is steaming, but not boiling. 10 minutes of that and they will seal. By not boiling, you're pickles will turn out crisp every time. Hope that helps!

Anonymous said...

I've been looking for a German dill recipe for a long time and I'm looking forward to trying these!

Thanks Michael for your service. My son is also an Iraq vet and I have a small inkling of what you have gone through in service to your country.

Anonymous said...
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Unknown said...

I am going to try canning for the first time in my life using this recipe. How many 1 qt jars will I need?

Cheesemakin' Mamma said...

I just depends on how much you want to do. I think you would use about a dozen quart jars (I would recommend wide-mouth) for 25 lbs of cukes. Good luck, Melissa!

Unknown said...

Thanks so much Cheesemakin' Mamma! I can't wait for summer, to grow my cucks, and then try this recipe! My parents are from Germany and I love German pickles - I go through about a jar a week!

AG said...

Oh, what a great idea! :) Next time I need pickles, I might try this! I followed you here from the Clever Chicks link party. Also, I’d like to invite you to come link up with me at my link party! I’d love it if you could stop by & link up some of your recipes! Here's the link: http://anyonitanibbles.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/tasty-tuesdays-16-dozen-delicious-desserts.html

Anonymous said...

do you boil water, vinegar, and salt together? and do you pour it hot into the jars, or let it cool? thank you for a great recipe. making these today.

Cheesemakin' Mamma said...

We boil water, vinegar and salt together, then pour into room temperature jars. Process, then cool.

Unknown said...

This sounds so good..i use to buy them but cant find them anymore and they are my favorite i cant wait to try them thank you so much for posting your family recipe

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