Sunshine Dill Pickles

[jglass]

Sunshine Dill Pickles

This is a recipe I found on another site. I am looking forward to trying it this summer.


Years ago, our family received a jar of these as a house-warming gift when we moved. My five brothers and I made very short work of that jar--we loved 'em! My mother has made several hundred gallons of these over the years. And I still make at least one gallon every summer....and a few times I've even "canned" them (transferred to quart jars or left in the gallon jar) after they've gotten their sun-tan. They keep for MONTHS in the back of the fridge, or for longer if you "can" them. My folks refer to these as "Gramma Smart Pickles" --after the little old lady who lived next door in Eagle, Wisconsin.

Makes 1 gallon
fresh dill, heads & stems bug-free
garlic cloves (optional)
cucumbers, washed & scrubbed
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup salt, scant

In a gallon glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, place a layer of dill in the bottom, then a layer of cukes; add garlic cloves if desired.
Keep layering dill & cukes to the neck of the jar; finish with a layer of dill.
Add vinegar and salt to the top of the jar; fill with cold tap water.
Cover and screw on tightly (add a doubled over square of wax paper or plastic wrap if you like, too).
Give the jar a few good shakes to distribute the salt.
Set in a sunny spot outside for four days; mark the calendar with the "due date."
Turn the jar slightly each day (for an even tan); leave out an extra day if rainy or cloudy.
Chill and eat.
IDEA: Add green or red pepper slices along with the dill for a taste explosion!
SUGGESTION: When scrubbing the fresh cukes, sort-as-you-go into piles of uniform size. This makes filling the jar go much quicker--looks prettier too.

Reviews:
Amazing and Simple, THANK YOU!!
i love these pickles !!! i make them every summer . try adding some pepper corns a bay leaf or hot peppers . my mom always has me make her a jar up for the porch . now i think you can find a jar on every porch in my family .thanks deb and give a big kiss to that little old lady in eagle ,wisconsin k
Wow a real recipie for these!! We call them counter cucumbers, and they are my favorite!!! My Grandpa makes them all the time but never measures anything so getting the recipie was impossible, till now that is!!!! Thanks so much these are BEST EVER!!!!!

[jglass]

I just brought mine in off the balcony and tried one.
VERY good pickles!
I love the garlic flavor.
I put mine in the fridge.

[durangojo]

do the cukes need to be pickling size? i am having a hard time finding them in the store, but it may just be that there is alot of pickling going on right now, and the stock is depleted...also,would this work if you slice the cukes as well? thanks

[KYHeirloomer]

Hey, Joey. Glad to see you finally made it over here. When you get a moment why not go to the introductions forum and let the folks know a little about you.

As to the pickles, it is very rare that any pickle recipe has to have the cucumbers in a particular form. Little picklers or cornicons would be ideal for this recipe. But, it necessary, cut what you have into appropriate sizes.

If you're using full-sized cukes, I think I'd quarter them by cutting once the longway, then each of those in half through the middle. That would give you fairly even sized pieces that would stack nicely.

[CanMan]

The only difference between pickling and regular cucumbers is really the seeds and the skin. The smaller cucs don't have the developed seeds as the larger cucumbers and the skin is almost nonexistent. For regular cucumbers, I will often remove most or all of the skin, cut in half, and scrape out most of the seeds, but its all a matter of personal preference.

I've seen a recipe where an apple corer is used to ream out the seeds on a whole cucumber and then slice horizontally so you end up getting donut slices.

[KYHeirloomer]

Another difference is that slicing cukes have a higher moisture content than pickling cukes.

But, in practical terms, it doesn't really matter. Both types work as either pickles or for fresh eating. In fact, we prefer certain pickling cukes for salads and the like; specifically Snow's Fancy Pickling---an heirloom variety developed in the late 19th century from the old Chicago Pickling.