Kosher Dill Pickles Small Batch Recipes

FERMENTED KOSHER-STYLE DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• Pour 1/2 gallon of water into a large container or pot. Cover loosely and allow to sit for 24 hour to allow dissolved chlorine to escape.
• Crisp cucumbers by storing in the refrigerator or soaking in very cold water for 1 hour.
• Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Add salt and stir to combine. Set aside to cool.
• Wash cucumbers in cold water and remove any blossoms that may be clinging to them. Quarter large cucumbers lengthwise. Cut medium cucumbers in half lengthwise. Leave gherkin-sized cucumbers whole.
• Peel and gently crush garlic cloves, but don't splinter them into fragments.
• Pour cooled salt water into a 1/2-gallon Mason jar. Add cucumbers, garlic, dill, and dried chile peppers, arranged attractively. Pack cucumbers tightly; they will shrink as they pickle. Fill the jar with the dechlorinated water until cucumbers are just covered to avoid overly diluting the brine.
• Loosely cover the jar and set aside at room temperature. Set the jar on a dish if it is very full, to catch any dribbles. Give the pickles 12 to 24 hours to begin fermenting. Refrigerate them, in brine and loosely covered, as they approach the stage of pickling you prefer: new, half-sour, or sour. Don't overshoot the mark, as refrigeration slows, but does not stop, fermentation.

KOSHER DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• Prepare your boiling water canner. Heat 4 pint jars in simmering water until ready to use, but do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set aside with bands.
• Wash them well and trim the ends off so they measure to be about 3 inches long, then cut them lengthwise into quarters.
• Combine the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small stainless saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat to simmer.
• Using a jar lifter, grab one canning jar, place on a towel or wooden cutting board, then place 1 garlic clove, 3 dill sprigs, ½ tsp mustard seed, 1 bay leaf, 1 hot pepper (if using), and Ball® Pickle Crisp (if desired) into the hot jar.
• Pack the cucumber spears into jar, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace (this headspace tool is perfect for this). Trim any cucumbers that may be a bit too tall.
• Ladle hot brine into a hot jar leaving a ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar and apply band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
• Once the water is boiling, process the jars for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off the heat, remove lid, and let jars stand in the water for 5 minutes. Remove the jars and let them cool undisturbed on a towel or wooden cutting board for 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when the center is pressed.

CLASSIC GARLIC DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• Wash and scrub lightly with a soft brush.
• Cut a thin slice from blossom ends to help prevent softening.
• Cut wide cucumbers into quarters lengthwise and long cucumbers so they fit in jars.
• Place in ice water bath while preparing everything else or up to 8 hours.
• Fill large pot or canner with water so that jars will be covered by 1" of water.
• Check jars for cracks, wash with warm soapy water, rinse well and place in canner.
• Heat jars in canner (no need to sterilize as final processing will be longer than 10 minutes).
• In medium size pot, combine vinegar, water and pickling salt. Bring to boil and simmer five minutes until salt is dissolved.
• Remove hot jars from canner.
• Place 2 dill heads, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp peppercorns and 1/8 tsp hot pepper flakes into each pint jar (double if using quart jars).
• Tightly pack cucumbers into jars to within 3/4 inch of rim.
• Add hot vinegar brine to cover cucumbers. Use a plastic utensil to remove any air bubbles and add more brine, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
• Wipe rim with clean cloth and seal with hot sealing lid. Screw band on top and tighten finger tight.
• Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes for pint (500 mL) jars or 15 minutes for quart (1 L) jars.
• Makes 4 pint (500 mL) jars or 2 quart (1 L) jars
• Processing time from National Center for Home Food Preservation. Remember to adjust cooking times if you're at altitudes higher than 1000 ft (306 m) above sea level.

KOSHER DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• Wash cucumbers, and cut in half lengthwise.
• Combine garlic, salt, 3 cups water, and vinegar; bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil 1 minute. Remove garlic, and place 4 halves into each hot jar. Pack cucumbers into jars. Add 2 dill sprigs and 4 peppercorns to each jar. Carefully pour vinegar mixture into jars, filling to 1⁄2 inch from top.Remove air bubbles; wipe jar rims. Cover at once with metal lids, and screw on bands. Process jars in boiling-water bath 10 minutes; cool.

TWO-INGREDIENT RANCH KOSHER DILL PICKLE SPEARS

Steps:

• Open the jar of pickles and spoon out 3 tablespoons of the pickle juice. Pour in packet of ranch salad dressing mix. Screw lid on and shake until evenly combined.n
• Refrigerate for 24 hours, shaking jar every 8 hours.n

SMALL-BATCH REFRIGERATOR DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• To make the brine, put water, vinegar, and salt in a small saucepan and heat to boiling. Remove from heat. (You can skip this step, but then your pickles will take longer to mature.).
• Pack each sterilized jar with prepared carrots, 1 sprig of dill, 1 clove of garlic, 1 bay leaf, and some of the mustard seeds, peppercorns, and chili flakes. I like to use miniature baby carrots (Green Giant kind) and just leave them whole. You can sterilize your jars by running them through the dishwasher and then not touching the insides or lip again.
• Pour the hot brine into the jars, filling the jar up to the inner lip (about 1/2" from the top). Screw on a lid and let them sit out on the counter for an hour or two to cool, then put in the fridge.
• Your pickles will be ready in about a week, depending on how thick the veggies are. Baby corn is usually ready in just a few days, but baby carrots take at least a week for the flavor to get to the center.

REFRIGERATOR KOSHER DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• Add salt and spices to each jar. Add cucumbers sliced, whole (ends trimmed) or spears, packing them in tightly. Fill jar to within 1/2 inch of the top.
• Add pickling liquid to cover the cucumbers. Put a lid and ring on the jar and shake for a few seconds to distribute the salt and spices evenly.
• Refrigerate for 7 days, shaking the jar for a few seconds every day. These will last approximately 6 months in the refrigerator.

KOSHER PICKLES, THE RIGHT WAY

Steps:

• Combine the salt and 1 cup boiling water in a large bowl; stir to dissolve the salt. Add a handful of ice cubes to cool the mixture, then all the remaining ingredients.
• Add cold water to cover. Use a plate slightly smaller than the diameter of the bowl and a small weight to keep the cucumbers immersed. Set aside at room temperature.
• Begin sampling the cucumbers after 4 hours if you quartered them. It will probably take 12 to 24 hours or even 48 hours for them to taste pickled enough to suit your taste.
• When they are ready, refrigerate them, still in the brine. The pickles will continue to ferment as they sit, more quickly at room temperature and more slowly in the refrigerator. They will keep well for up to a week.