Homemade Pickles

Hey Hey Y'all! Hope you had an amazing Monday! Mine was full of laundry, cleaning and baking. This week I'm actually going to be doing a few posts based on the cucumber! Why the cucumber you ask? Because I built my first garden this year and I have cucumbers coming out of my ears! And they come in every shape and size you can imagine. Just one vine has produced over eight cuckes! 

I seriously didn't think those tiny little plants I started back in April could produce so much, but boy was I wrong. I've already given away about a dozen and have another dozen of my own I've been using in various meals. Since I had such an abundance, I decided to try my hand at making my own Homemade Pickles!

I found a ton of recipes online and was given a few family recipes to try. It was kind of overwhelming. So I decided to pick the ingredients I liked and use those! Ignore the vinegar in the background, it didn't make the cut :)
Speaking of cut, one of the most important parts of this recipe for me is knife safety. I recently had a friend over and while washing a knife she sliced her finger pretty bad. Like she should've had stitches bad. So, when slicing up these green babies make sure to hide your fingertips. Here's what I mean:

Curl in your tips just in case the knife slips. Once you get all your slices done, stack them in your jars.

Next, sprinkle in the good stuff!

Then pour in salted water and top the jars with a "weight". What I mean by this is put something on top to keep all the slices submerged in the water. I took a big chunk of a green pepper (also from my garden :) and put that on top...like this.

That helped keep all the slices fully immersed in the water. Let them sit out for about three days. 

On the third day, take out the green pepper and try a slice. If they're to your texture liking, throw away the pepper (or eat it) and place the jars in the fridge. If you see some "scum" on the top, like foamy white stuff, don't panic. Just use a spoon and scoop it out. Replace the lid and keep them in the fridge. If they aren't ready, keep them on the counter and keep trying each day until you reach your desired taste and crunch. Try not to exceed five or six days though. 

Ingredients:
Cucumbers
2 Cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp whole black peppercorn
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 Cups water
1 Tbsp salt

Directions:
Slice up your cucumbers how you like them. I did thin slices, but you could also do quarters.

Stuff all the slices in a jar until it's packed. Top each jar with the seasonings listed above. Meaning each jar gets 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 tsp dill, etc.

Combine the two cups of water and salt and stir until the salt is completely dissolved. Pour the water over a jar. Repeat for each jar.

Using a big slice of a green pepper, or an onion chunk if you want, place it on top of the slices to keep all the cucumbers under the water. 

Secure the lid and turn the jar upside down a couple times so that the seasonings can get fully incorporated in the jar.

Place the jars on your counter and allow to sit for three days. If you see a white skin form at the top, scoop it out with a spoon and replace the lid. 

At the end of the third day test the pickles to see if they're to your liking. If not, allow to sit another day. When they're ready, place them in the fridge. This will stop the fermentation process. 

Eat with sandwiches, salads, or just a fork :)

I used old Prego jars, but feel free to use any kind of jar you like. I didn't really sanitize the lids or jars beforehand, besides running them through the dishwasher when I originally saved them. 

These should keep in the fridge for at least six months. Let me know if you have any questions! Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by!

**I linked up to full plate, thursday style, weekend potluck, amaze me monday, frugal crafty home, much ado about monday