Stone Jar Pickles Recipes

DILL PICKLES BY THE JAR

Steps:

• Using a soft vegetable brush, thoroughly scrub the cucumbers in cool running water. Cut 1/16 inch off the blossom end. Discard any cucumbers that are bruised or damaged.
• Put however many quart canning jars that you need into a canner and cover them with water; bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes.
• Make the brine with the water, vinegar and salt; put them in a pot and heat until the salt is dissolved.
• Put a couple good heads of dill seed into each sterilized jar.
• Seed heads should be well-formed but still green.
• Add a clove of garlic and/or a hot pepper if desired.
• Pack the jar with the cucumbers.
• I find it easiest to start with the jar on its side, laying some of the larger cucumbers along the bottom then keep stacking on top of them. Use the end of a large wooden spoon to gently push more cukes in once it gets snug in there. Then repeat with a second row of stacked cukes, picking ones that will fit in without sticking too far up in the jar. There may then be room to lay a couple on top.
• Pour the hot brine over them, and cap at once with a sterilized lid.
• Do not hot water process.
• Store jars on newspaper in case they overflow while fermenting.
• Can be opened in 6 weeks but much better after 6 months!

SUMMERTIME SWEET PICKLES

Steps:

• In a small saucepan at medium-high heat, combine cider vinegar, salt, sugar, tumeric and mustard seed. Bring to a boil and let cook for 5 more minutes.
• Meanwhile, slice cucumbers and onion. Loosely pack the vegetables in a 1-quart canning jar or other similarly sized container. Pour hot liquid over the vegetables in the container. Refrigerate for 24 hours and enjoy! Keep refrigerated.

STONE JAR PICKLES

Steps:

• Wash cucumbers and inspect them carefully to make sure the skins are not pierced or have any cuts in them. Place into a large crock (I don't have a crock so I use a clean 5 gallon bucket).
• Combine 2 cups of canning salt with 1 gallon of cold water and stir until the salt is dissolved. Pour salt brine on the cucumbers. Repeat until cucumbers are completely covered with salt brine (in the bucket I use, it takes about 2.5 gallons of salt brine to cover well).
• Place a dinner plate on top of the cucumbers followed by a heavy weight so that the cucumbers remain submerged. Get creative! I use a dinner plate followed by a heavy bowl, followed by a plastic cover and then pressed a board over the top and weighted it down with a jug of juice). The objective is to keep the cucumbers submerged, and I like to keep the whole thing covered to keep dust and cat hair out of the bucket.
• Soak the cucumbers for 21 days, periodically checking it for any mold or scum that might float to the top. Skim any of that off. About midway through the soaking process, dissolve another cup of canning salt into a few cups of water and pour into the brine.
• After 21 days in the salt brine, remove the cucumbers and wash them in cold water. Pour the salt brine out of the bucket and wash and dry it out.
• Cut the cucumbers however you desire. I prefer to slice them, however, they can be cut into chunks or spears. (note here that the cucumbers are not going to smell good at all, and if you have used large cucumbers they will likely be hollow after the soak. Press on, they're okay!).
• Put the cut up cucumbers into the clean bucket, cover with water and let soak for 24 hours.
• After 24 hours, drain the water off the cucumbers.
• Combine 7 tablespoons alum with one gallon of cold water and stir until the alum is dissolved. Pour over the cut cucumbers. Then add enough water to make sure cukes are completely covered. Swish them around a little and then let soak for 6 hours.
• After 6 hours, drain the alum water off the cucumbers. Give the cut cumbers a rinse and drain well. Return cucumbers to the bucket.
• Bring 1.5 gallons of vinegar to a boil and pour over the cucumbers. Let sit for 24 hours.
• After 24 hours, drain the vinegar off the cucumbers. Layer the cucumbers with the sugar, cinnamon, cloves, mustard seed and celery seed until all the sugar, spices and cukes are layered. Then using your hands, gently stir it all together.
• Let the cucumbers cure in the sugar and spices for 3 days, stirring once each day. The pickles are now done! You can now transfer the pickles into clean and sterile jars and put lids on them. These pickles do not require sealing in a water bath. You can leave them in the crock if you like.

STONE JAR PICKLES

Steps:

• First day: Pour not quite all of a box of salt into a kettle of water and boil. Pour over approximately a half bushel of small cucumbers. Pack into at least a 3 gallon stone jar. Second day: Pour salty water off cucumbers. Boil in a large kettle 1 box of alum and water to fill the kettle. Pour over cucumbers. Third day: Drain off alum liquid; boil a kettle of plain water and pour over pickles. Fourth day: Heat 1 gallon vinegar. Put one box of pickling spices into a piece of cheesecloth; tie securely and drop into vinegar. Pour over cucumbers and let sit for 9 days. On the fifteenth day: Pour off liquid from pickles. Slice cucumbers; put a layer of pickles and a layer of sugar into your stone crock. If you prefer layer your pickles and sugar right into glass jars. It is not necessary to seal the jars. Pickles will keep indefinitely.

SWEET-AND-SOUR QUICK PICKLES

Steps:

• Stuff the cucumbers and dill into a 1-quart glass or plastic jar with a tight-fitting lid.
• In another 1-quart jar, combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and mustard. Close the jar and shake vigorously until the sugar and salt dissolve. Pour over the cucumbers, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight) or up to 1 month.