Recipe of the Week
Fermented dill pickles
Courtesy of
Olivia Miller
|
Ingredients
50-60 smooth small cucumbers
1 oz. whole mixed spices
dill
1 lb. pure salt
1 gallon water
1 pint cider vinegar
Method
Place a layer of dill in the bottom of a clean, 4-gallon crock. Add 1/2 oz. whole mixed spices. Pack cucumbers to within 3 inches of top of crock. Then add another 1/2 oz. whole mixed spices and a layer of dill.
Make a cold brine of the salt, water, and vinegar. Pour brine over cucumbers. Cover with a china plate. Weight the plate down to keep cucumbers below surface of brine. Cover top of crock with cloth.
Remove any scum that forms on surface of liquid.
Just as soon as bubbling ceases and active fermentation stops, place pickles in standard canning jars. Pour brine over pickles, screw on lids firmly tight, and immerse in a kettle of tap-temperature water. Bring to a boil and boil for 15 minutes. When jars are cooling, you can tell when each one vacuum-seals because the lid will click down into a little indentation. Store in a cool, dry, dark place.
