Love the crunchy, yummy pickles you get with a sandwich at the deli? Learn to make your own garlic dill pickles at home – no canning required!
Canning pickles is always a delicious way to use up your cucumber harvest from the garden. But, imagine stocking up on pickles without having to pull out the canner and all the stuff that goes along with it. You can totally do that with these homemade garlic dill pickles!
All you need is cucumbers, a few spices, some real salt, pure water and a half gallon jar with a lid.
Why real salt?
Real salt is pure, unrefined salt – just as your ancient ancestors would have used. There are no added chemicals, preservatives or anti-caking agents that might interfere with your ferment or your health.
What do you mean by pure water?
Water straight from the earth that does not contain added chemicals, preservatives, purification treatments, etc. If you don’t have access to good, clean water at home, use spring water or distilled water instead.
That’s it! That’s all you need to make these super crunchy pickles!
Make Your Own Homemade Garlic Dill Pickles
A pickle pipe and a glass weight are helpful additions, but they’re totally not necessary. If you don’t have them, feel free to use a standard lid instead. In place of the pickle pipe, you’ll just need to “burp” the jar each day by opening the lid to let the gasses out, then closing it again.
As for the glass weight, feel free to use a zipper bag filled with water, a clean rock, a smaller jar that fits inside the mouth of the jar you’re using to ferment or even grape leaves or oak leaves work, too!
Now, that you’ve got your supplies ready, give those cucumbers a good wash and make sure to get all the little pricklys off the skin, too.
Throw some garlic into a jar. Add a few black peppercorns and a dash of red pepper flakes to the jar.
Fill the jar half way with cucumbers – these can be whole (if they’re small), sliced in half, diced, quartered, etc.
Repeat the garlic and spices.
Continue filling the jar with cucumbers, leaving about 2 inches of headspace.
Okay, now, in a separate dish or jar, combine 2 tablespoons of real salt and 4 cups of pure water.
Pour the salt mixture over the cucumbers and spices.
Place a pickle pipe and a canning ring on top and set your pickles aside to ferment for 5 to 7 days.
After the time is up, give them a taste and if you love them – place a standard lid on the jar and stick them in the refrigerator or cold storage for up to 1 year.
If they’re still a bit too salty, let them sit a few more days, then prepare them for storage.
Homemade Garlic Dill Pickles
Ingredients
- Garlic
- Black peppercorns
- Red pepper flakes
- Cucumbers
- Real salt
- Water
- Half Gallon Jar
Instructions
- Place 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic or 2 garlic cloves into the bottom of the jar.
- Add 1 teaspoon black peppercorns and 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the jar.
- Fill the jar halfway with cucumbers.
- Repeat steps 1 and 2.
- Continue filling the jar with cucumbers, leaving about 2 inches of headspace.
- Combine 2 tablespoons real salt and 4 cups pure water in a separate dish.
- Pour salt water over the cucumbers, filling the jar to 1 inch of headspace.
- Place a pickle pipe on the jar, with a canning ring. Set the jar in a warm, shady location for 5 to 7 days.
- After day 5, taste your pickles - if you love them, place a clean, standard lid on top of the jar and place them in the refrigerator or cold storage.
- If they are still too salty, replace the pickle pipe and allow them to ferment for a few more days.
- Store in refrigerator or cold storage for up to 1 year.
You might also like:
Have an Awesome Day!
~Vanessa
Vanessa Hamlin is the owner and founder of Food Life Design and VLHamlinDesign. With her passion for frugal living and homesteading, Vanessa loves to write about easy recipes, making money, gardening, home remedies and everything else that a good life entails! When she’s not writing for Food Life Design or creating products for VLHamlinDesign, you’ll find Vanessa reading, drawing, gardening, cooking or spending time with her family.