Table · field guide
Crunchy Canned Dill Pickles
A good dill pickle is crisp, garlicky, and sour enough to make you blink. Canned dills let you keep a summer cucumber patch going all winter. The vinegar brine does the safety work, so this is a great first canning project. The trick is keeping them crunchy, and there are three simple things that do it.
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Why this one works
The brine is a simple mix of vinegar, water, and salt, with fresh dill and garlic in every jar. The vinegar is what makes the pickles safe to can and gives them that sharp bite.
This recipe makes about 7 pints, a full canner load. Whole small cucumbers give the crunchiest pickle, but spears and slices work too.
Pick and prep the cucumbers
Use pickling cucumbers picked small, 3 to 4 inches for whole pickles. Slicing cucumbers turn soft, so save those for salads. Use the cucumbers within a day of picking. The fresher they are, the crunchier the pickle.
Cut a thin slice off the blossom end of each cucumber and throw it away. That end holds an enzyme that softens pickles. For extra crunch, soak the cucumbers in ice water for 4 hours before you pack them.
Keep it safe
These pickles get their safety from vinegar, not from added lemon juice. Use vinegar labeled 5% acidity and keep the brine ratio as written. Do not water the vinegar down to make them milder. That makes them unsafe to can.
Leave 1/2 inch of headspace in each jar. Process pints 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner, and adjust the time up for your altitude. After the jars cool, check that every one sealed and refrigerate any that did not. If you are unsure of a process time for a different jar size, follow a tested recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Make it your own
The garlic-dill base is a classic. You can tune the heat and the spice, but keep the vinegar, water, and salt amounts exactly as written.
- Spicy: add a dried chili or 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes per jar.
- Extra garlic: use 3 cloves per jar instead of 2.
- Whole spice: add a teaspoon of pickling spice or a few peppercorns per jar.
- Crunch booster: add 1/4 teaspoon of Pickle Crisp (calcium chloride) per pint.
How long it keeps
Sealed jars keep their best quality for about 12 months in a cool, dark pantry. Wait at least 3 weeks before you open the first jar, so the garlic and dill soak all the way in.
Once you open a jar, keep it in the fridge and use it within 2 months. One honest note: the process boil softens the crunch a little. If you want the crispest possible pickle and can eat them fast, make refrigerator dills instead and skip the canner.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 lbs small pickling cucumbers
- 3 cups white vinegar (5% acidity)
- 3 cups water
- 6 tbsp canning or pickling salt
- 14 cloves garlic (2 per jar)
- 7 heads fresh dill, or 7 tsp dill seed (1 per jar)
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Method
- Trim the blossom end off each cucumber. Soak in ice water 4 hours for extra crunch, then drain.
- Wash jars and keep them hot. Heat water in the canner.
- In a pot, bring the vinegar, water, and salt to a boil to make the brine.
- Put 2 garlic cloves and 1 head of dill in each hot jar.
- Pack the cucumbers in tightly, standing them up so more fit.
- Pour the hot brine over the cucumbers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
- Wipe rims, set lids and bands finger-tight, and lower jars into the canner.
- Process pints 10 minutes at a full rolling boil, adjusting for altitude, then cool 12 to 24 hours and check seals.
Questions, answered straight
Do three things: use fresh pickling cucumbers within a day of picking, trim off the blossom end, and process for exactly the listed time. An ice-water soak before packing and a little calcium chloride help too. Slicing cucumbers and over-processing are the usual reasons pickles go soft.
Yes. Use about 1 teaspoon of dill seed per pint jar in place of a fresh dill head. Fresh dill gives a brighter flavor, but dill seed is easy to keep on hand and works fine.
Wait at least 3 weeks. The pickles need time for the garlic, dill, and brine to soak all the way to the center. Sealed jars then keep their best quality for about 12 months in a cool, dark pantry.