Pickling is one of those culinary processes that I’ve always wanted to dive into, since I find myself eating pickles at least once or twice a week. I just love crisp dill pickle slices on top of a juicy burger or spicy pickled green beans submerged in my Sunday morning Bloody Mary. I’m actually not sure why I haven’t tried this process sooner – it’s so easy. Simply combine fresh cucumbers with brine, herbs and spices. Let the mixture sit for several days and you have homemade pickles! Continue reading for the recipe.
Kosher Dill Pickles
Adapted from David Lebovitz.
4 quarts water
6 tablespoons kosher salt
18-20 small cucumbers, scrubbed (I used mini hot house cucumbers)*
9 garlic cloves, unpeeled and lightly crushed
2 tablespoons pickling spice
6 bay leaves
1 large bunch of dill, washed
Start by making the brine. In a large pot, combine 1 quart of water with 6 tablespoons of kosher salt. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring until salt is dissolved. Remove from heat and add the remaining water.
Prepare three 1 quart jars by filling them with boiling water, then dumping it out. This will ensure that the jars are good and sterilized.
Keep in mind that you will need to divide the garlic, spices, bay leaves and dill between your three jars. Start by placing some of the spices and dill at the bottom of each jar. Pack the cucumbers vertically into the jars, making sure they fit snugly together. Insert bay leaves and garlic while you are packing the cucumbers. Finally, top each jar with remaining dill and spices.
Fill the jars with brine so that the contents are completely covered. Cover the jars with cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band or kitchen twine. Store in a cool, dark place for 3 – 6 days.**
Start tasting your pickles on day 3. Once they reach a desired taste, refrigerate them.
* Your final product will only be as good as your starting cucumbers. Be sure to taste one of the cucumbers before pickling. If the cucumber tastes bitter, don’t use it.
*** Making pickle spears requires less time than whole pickles. You can start tasting your pickle spears on day 2.
Barb says
These look fantastic. I’m going to have to try them next week, after my next trip to the farmer’s market.
jessica says
back up.
spicy pickled green beans in your bloody mary?
i hereby request a recipe for that, please.
Jennifer from A Touch of Garlic says
I would also like to know more about these spicy pickles in your Bloody Mary! I love pickles, and I love a Bloody Mary, especially with Old Bay around the rim.
The Cilantropist says
Hey there fellow San Diegan! Love this recipe, I made something really similar earlier this summer, along with a batch of bread and butter pickles and pickled onions. Since making them the first time, I have made mannnny more batches of pickles, I cant seem to stop! I suppose there isnt really anything wrong with that though is there? 😉
Green Peccadilloes says
Ohhhh, spicy pickled beans and bloody marys… now there’s a reason to start pickling again!
Brandon Matzek says
@jessica @Jennifer @ Green Peccadilloes Spicy pickled green beans are a must in your Bloody Marys! I usually just buy a jar of pickled green beans; however, they can get a little pricey. I will work on a Bloody Mary recipe this month. Stay tuned!
@The Cilantropist Greetings! I don’t see anything wrong in making repeated batches of pickles 🙂 Especially since the process is so easy.
Jane Wilson says
I need help. I made pickled dilly beans with garlic….the garlic at the root end of some cloves turned blue after they were hotbathed. what caused this and is it safe? thanks for help.
Brandon @ Kitchen Konfidence says
Hi Jane, your pickles should be safe to eat. I would just discard the garlic. Here is some fancy scientific info I found on the Internets:
“Blue, purple or blue-green garlic may result from immature garlic or garlic that is not fully dry, from copper pans, or from a high amount of copper in the water. Garlic contains anthocyanin, a water-soluble pigment that under acid conditions may turn blue or purple. A blue-green color also may develop in pickles made with stored red-skinned garlic. Except for blue-green color resulting from an abnormally high copper-sulfate concentration, such color changes do not indicate the presence of harmful substances.”
Quoted from here: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09304.html
Savory Sweet Living says
These pickles look delicious and love your pictures! Pickling is also on my to-do list; hopefully I’ll get to experiment soon.
Jason's BBQ Adventures says
Great post on the dill pickles. Love your recipe.
Foodtographer says
I LOVE dill pickles but have never tried making them myself. I need to try this in the next couple weeks. I also would like to make the spicy green beans also. Now I’m salivating. LOL.
Elizabeth Bridges says
This is so easy! I always thought it would be hard to pickle something! (Wow– that sounds almost dirty!) I have also fallen in love with pickled okra. Wonder if I could try that…
Thanks!
fooddreamer says
I love dill pickles. I have no “end of the season” cukes, but I might just have to buy some pickling cukes at the farmer’s market to make this. Thanks for sharing!
Lee Ann Foster says
This is just what I’ve been looking for as I have a good crop of cucumbers this year and don’t have much time to can this year. This recipes looks lovely! A quick pickle recipe is handy to have with a garden surplus! Thank you LA.
Brandon Matzek says
@Elizabeth HA!!! Almost dirty 😉 I really enjoy pickled okra. Okra is in season now too. I’ve seen different varieties at the farmer’s market. Please let me know if you try it!
@Lee Ann Agreed. I just got a bunch of cucumbers in my CSA box. I am thinking about making another round of these pickles!
HappyWhenNotHungry says
These look great! I will definitely have to try. Your pictures are awesome too!
Marina says
That’s a very easy recipe. I’ve always wanted to learn how to pickle cucumbers. Question, what if I don’t have the jars, can anything else be used instead?
Jennifer says
As soon as it stops raining I am raiding the farmers market for cucumbers AND string beans! Thanks for making it sound so easy!
Brandon Matzek says
@Marina I would really recommend using glass jars. You could try to use a different glass container (bowl, baking dish, etc.); however the cukes need to be complete submerged in the brine. This might be a difficult task in something other than a glass jar. Never use plastic, metal or enamel containers. And always make sure the container you use is sterilized (with boiling water).
Linda Richards says
Where is the recipe for “salted browned butter rice crispy bars” please?
Brandon Matzek says
@Linda You can find them here:
http://www.kitchenkonfidence.com/2010/08/salted-brown-butter-rice-crispy-bars/
RavieNomNoms says
What great pictures! Thanks so much for sharing this, I have been looking for a good dill pickle recipe (I am not really a fan of sweet). So thank you!
Crystal's Cozy Kitchen says
I’ve also wanted to try making my own pickles… I’m going to bookmark this site for next summer (my life has to be a little less hectic then, right?!)
Brie says
i *love* dill pickles! this recipe is fabulous with lovely photos! i also save the brine from the organic dill pickles I buy, then I purchase mini cucumbers and make more pickles with little effort!
JErry Urban says
I cannot wait to make these! I LOVE pickles
Eliot says
These look beatiful. I have saved this recipe to try next summer. I found this recipe in an antique cookbook and they came out great. I loved using a grape leaf (which I am told makes them crisp): http://eliotseats.com/?p=1103 They came out delicious!
Brandon Matzek says
@Brie I’ve heard of that method before, but haven’t tried it yet. I am going to have to give it a go next Summer. Thanks!
@Eliot Thanks for the tip!
Sahar says
Wow……… Have been looking for a recipe like this for a long time… Thank you thank you thank you!
Hannah says
Hi there – what’s in the pickling spice mix? Thanks!
Brandon Matzek says
Pickling spice mixes can vary. Usually they contain mustard seeds, coriander, allspice, bay, black pepper and red pepper flake. Sometimes cinnamon and clove.