Kosher Dill Pickles Small Batch Recipes

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.

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.

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.