Garlic Dill Pickles Recipe - Weekend at the Cottage (2024)

FAQs

What is the best vinegar to use for dill pickles? ›

Most pickle recipes call for distilled white vinegar. This is the clear, colorless vinegar made by fermenting grains. It has a mellow aroma, tart acid flavor and does not affect the color of light-colored vegetables or fruits.

Cucumbers: Pickling cucumbers are preferred, but regular cucumbers can be used also. Dill: In place of the dill seeds, you can substitute 5 heads of fresh dill (the yellow flower portion) or 2 teaspoons dried dillweed for each jar (10 teaspoons total).

Because we're a cultured lot here at Sweet Genie we were surprised pickles were included in Kosher dietary laws. Well, we were right, it turns out they're not! A "Kosher" pickle in the US just means it has garlic added to the brine.

For a quick and easy way to help ensure crisp pickles: soak cucumbers in ice water for 4 to 5 hours before pickling. This is a safer method for making crisp pickles. Using lime, or calcium hydroxide, in solution for soaking cucumbers changes the amount of acid in the cucumber tissue.

An easy pickling recipe to follow is the 3-2-1 method; three parts water, two parts vinegar, and one part sugar. This 3-2-1 pickle brine is on the sweeter side, making it great for bread and butter pickles or spicy pickled beets. For a more savory pickle, use less sugar.

Because apple cider vinegar is made from apples rather than barley, corn rice or wine, it gives pickles a mellower taste. Using a white distilled vinegar, for example, will create a harsher flavour. But as well as being gentler on your palate, using apple cider vinegar also adds health benefits to pickles.

Wait anywhere from three days to a week for the flavor to develop, and the veggies will taste truly pickled. Keep in mind that the longer it brines, the better it tastes! You can also reuse the brine for your next batch. The quick-pickling process stops here.

In each jar pack 2 cloves garlic, 2 sprigs dill, and as many cucumbers that will fit, taking care to leave 1/2" of headspace. Once the pickling bring has boiled, carefully pour the hot brine into the jars. Place lid in the center of the packed jar and then place on band and tighten. Repeat with remaining jars.

Most fruit preserves and pickles are sufficiently high in acid to be canned via a method called water bath canning, where jars are submerged in boiling water for a prescribed amount of time. This destroys any pathogens in the food, and creates a seal, thereby rendering the jars shelf-stable.

Garlic pickle not only satisfies our taste buds but also provides many health benefits. Garlic pickle is a rich source of antioxidants, amino acids and vitamin B among other nutrients, which helps us to deal with many health issues.

Why are Israeli pickles different? ›

While the Americans pickle the Kirby cucumber, a very thick variety with rough skin, the Israelis use Middle Eastern cucumbers, which are thin, smooth skinned, and the smaller they are the better. The Israelis also use more salt in their brine. For both types, now is a good time to pickle.

Use Calcium Chloride

Calcium chloride (CaCl2), sometimes known as “pickle crisp”, is a type of salt that helps preserve the crunchiness of food.

You can reuse it but the results won't be as flavorful as the original pickles. Try adding some extra spices. Also it should work better if you heat the juice to boiling before adding your vegetables. I've never tried it, but I suppose you could heat it up and pour it over thinly sliced veggies for a quick pickle.

Trim off the blossom end of your cucumbers. While this may seem wasteful, there's an enzyme (pectinase) that will cause your pickles to become soft. Trim about 1/16 inch from that blossom end before pickling.

Any basic vinegar is game — white vinegar, apple cider, white wine, and rice vinegar all work well. You can use these vinegars alone or in combination. Steer clear of aged or concentrated vinegars like balsamic or malt vinegar for pickling.

Otherwise, you can just thinly slice the onions with a chef's knife.) Vinegar: I prefer the sweeter taste of apple cider vinegar when pickling onions. But you could alternately use rice vinegar, white vinegar or red wine vinegar (or a combination of vinegars) instead.

Vinegar used for pickling must at least 5% acidity. Look at the label to be sure that the vinegar you are using is 5% acidity. Sometimes vinegar will be labeled as grain; 5% acidity is the same as 50 grain. Most white and cider vinegars used for making pickles and salsa are 5% acidity, but not all.

I recommend using Champagne vinegar, any white wine vinegar or rice vinegar when pickling. They all have a softer, less harsh flavor than a distilled white vinegar and will result in a more nuanced flavor in your pickles.