I love summer.
I love grilled burgers, brats and dogs.
I love potato salad.
But what I like best is a cold pickle to go with all of the above.
I've been a pickle fan for as long as I can remember. My mom and dad tell me that I used to love hanging out with my uncle starting from the age of about 2. We would sit on the couch or in my grandparent's backyard eating pickles and drinking Dr. Pepper. While I don't remember that, I still love both of those things (and my Uncle, of course).
When we lived in San Diego, there were some awesome delicatessens that made the most fabulous dill pickles. A corned beef sandwich on rye with a kosher dill pickle spear is still my favorite meal. One of those restaurants used to have large vats of pickles sitting right on each table, ready for your enjoyment. I think I ate more pickles than sandwich every time we went there.
The love of pickles runs in my family. When my niece was a few months old, she was sitting on my lap and she reached up and grabbed the pickle out of my hand and it was in her mouth before anyone could react. A 6 month old with a pickle is a funny sight. Instead of making faces or gagging, she sucked that pickle until it was a gooey mess. Now my grandson has the same love of pickles. In fact, at 15 months he tends to prefer salty, sour and savory foods over anything sweet. His sister will eat an entire jar of them while she's over at my house.
One of my coworkers gave me a pickle recipe that her late father, a restauranteur, used to make for a fermented pickle. They are really yummy and sour. I'll share that recipe with you on another day. This recipe is a pretty decent clone for the Clausen style pickles you find in the fridge at your store.
The trick to this recipe is that you don't heat anything, so the cucumbers stay crisp. You can increase or decrease the amount of garlic or dill depending on your preference. There is a small amount of vinegar in this brine, which gives a sour taste and helps preserve the cucumbers while they are brining. The shape of your pickles are up to you. In this batch, I made spears and slices. Make sure your cucumbers are good and firm. Wash, but don't scrub them. This recipe is super easy. In fact, the hardest part is waiting the 2-4 days for them to be done.
When we lived in San Diego, there were some awesome delicatessens that made the most fabulous dill pickles. A corned beef sandwich on rye with a kosher dill pickle spear is still my favorite meal. One of those restaurants used to have large vats of pickles sitting right on each table, ready for your enjoyment. I think I ate more pickles than sandwich every time we went there.
The love of pickles runs in my family. When my niece was a few months old, she was sitting on my lap and she reached up and grabbed the pickle out of my hand and it was in her mouth before anyone could react. A 6 month old with a pickle is a funny sight. Instead of making faces or gagging, she sucked that pickle until it was a gooey mess. Now my grandson has the same love of pickles. In fact, at 15 months he tends to prefer salty, sour and savory foods over anything sweet. His sister will eat an entire jar of them while she's over at my house.
One of my coworkers gave me a pickle recipe that her late father, a restauranteur, used to make for a fermented pickle. They are really yummy and sour. I'll share that recipe with you on another day. This recipe is a pretty decent clone for the Clausen style pickles you find in the fridge at your store.
The trick to this recipe is that you don't heat anything, so the cucumbers stay crisp. You can increase or decrease the amount of garlic or dill depending on your preference. There is a small amount of vinegar in this brine, which gives a sour taste and helps preserve the cucumbers while they are brining. The shape of your pickles are up to you. In this batch, I made spears and slices. Make sure your cucumbers are good and firm. Wash, but don't scrub them. This recipe is super easy. In fact, the hardest part is waiting the 2-4 days for them to be done.
2-3 large cucumbers, sliced in your preferred manner
8 cups cold water
1/3 cup Kosher or canning salt (don't use the iodized table salt)
1/2 cup vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar, but you can use the white variety if you prefer)
1 Tablespoon pickling spices
4-8 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 bunch fresh dill.
2- One quart mason jars, cleaned and sterilized.
Wash your cucumbers gently, no need to scrub them. Slice them in spears, halves, rounds or what ever you prefer. You can use small, whole cucumbers, too. It will just need a couple of extra days to ferment.
In your clean jars, divide the dill, garlic and pickling spices. Fill your jar about 3/4 full with the sliced cucumbers.
Mix the water, salt and vinegar together. It may take you a while to get the salt to dissolve. Cover the cucumbers with the brine mixture. The cucumbers may start to float. You want them to stay below the fluid line, so you may need to use a baggie with either pie beads, marbles or beans to help keep them submerged. Cover loosely with a clean lid.
Store the jars at room temperature, away from direct sunlight for between 2 and 4 days. Every day, pick up the jar and swirl them around a bit to redistribute the dill, garlic and pickling spices. At the end of the second day, give your jars a sniff and maybe a tiny bite. If the pickles are to your liking, secure the lid tightly and put them in the fridge. If not, wait another couple of days until they have the right "bite" for you.
You will be able to store these in your fridge for a couple of months. How long? I don't know. We've never had a jar last beyond 2 weeks in my house!
Enjoy.
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