The Best Pickle Ever!

I saw that Tammy posted a pickle recipe, so I thought I would put my favorite up.  I found this recipe on the web as a Claussen type of pickle.  I tweaked it to my taste:

Claussen Pickle Recipe

4 Quart Jars

Ingredients

• ·  Cucumbers to fill the jars
• 1/3 cup instant minced onion
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
•  1/2 tablespoon mustard seeds
• 4-8 heads fresh dill (put 2 small ones or 1 large one in each jar!)
• 1 dried hot pepper for each jar
•  1 1/2 quarts waters
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup canning salt

Directions

1. Slice your cucumbers how you like them (slices, quarters, halves, or just leave them whole!  I've tried them each way and it doesn't seem to make a difference.)  Add the dill and hot pepper with the cucumbers into the jars.
2. Boil liquids and seasonings to dissolve the salt then cool.  
3. Pour the liquid over the pickles and let sit on the counter turning them occasionally for three days.
4. Place in the fridge.  You can do a taste test in a week or two!

PRESERVING- Dill Pickles

With all the extreme heat this summer, my dill has gone CRAZY! However it seems that the dill that seeds itself from the year before is always ready for a cutting before the pickles are ready for pickling, and the dill that I plant is not ready in time. So to fix this problem, I just dry my dill if it cannot be used immediately. Any leftovers can be used the following year. The same is also true for my cayenne peppers. (used in this particular recipe) I just dry them in the dehydrator and use them as I need them. They will keep for a long time if kept in an air tight container.

Check out this HUGE head of dill. It is the same size as the dehydrator.

I use this simple recipe for my pickles. I don't can pickles in the traditional way, but rather jar them, uncooked, and store them in our extra fridge. To date, the jars are piling up and I'm running out room to store them- the one drawback to making these claussen style pickles.

My Favorite Dill Pickle Recipe

4 qts med sized cucumbers

4 c. vinegar

1 c. salt

3 qt water

For each quart:

2 sprays dill

1 clove garlic

1 small hot red pepper

Wash cucumbers and let stand in cold water overnight. Pack cukes in jars. Combine other ing. And bring to boil. Fill jars with brine, and store in a cool dark place.