Short-brined dills-- by Picklelady

Much experimentation this season with lacto-fermentation. How long, what container, whole vs. sliced, what spices added to the brine..........

So this brings me to posting my recipe for short-brined dills.

Brining the cukes overnight in saltwater gives them a slight fermented taste, but nothing like true fermentation. I think the subtle difference the brining makes really makes these pickles stand out.

Ok, here it is.

1. cukes, sliced or speared. Cukes should be FRESH, picked that day, preferably. European varieties should have their spines rubbed off, but no need to do so with the weak spines of most traditional cukes. the blossom ends can harbor bacteria, so I slice them off (just the skin). I usually slice off the skin of the vine ends too, just because that part is a bit tough. Use any pickling cukes, and in a pinch eating cukes can be pickled, they're just not as good.
2. Layer the cukes with pickling salt and ice cubes in a bowl. place a weight on the top (I use a dinner plate), and let them marinate overnight, 12-24 hours is best.
3. Here's where your personal tastes come in: I don't rinse mine, but lots of people do. Anyway, whether you rinse or not, drain the cukes well.
4. now stuff them in a jar, or jars. Fill the jars about halfway with cukes.
5. add a wild grape leaf, or a couple of sour cherry leaves, or an oak leaf. The tannins in the leaves help keep the pickle crisp.
   
6. add a handful of fresh dill per quart. (heads are ok)
   
7. add some garlic (I use about a head of garlic for a half gallon jar of pickles)
8. add other spices to taste. I use peppercorns, cumin seeds, mustard seed. You can use pickling spice, onion juice, cloves, bay leaves.... the list is endless. experiment to see what suits you best.
   
9. Fill the rest of the jar with brined cukes. Leave an inch at the top, minimum 1/2 inch.
   
10. bring to a boil in a nonreactive saucepan: 1 part vinegar to 1 part water, add pickling salt if you like (I use 1 pinch of pickling salt for every 2 cups of water). Fill the jars with the vinegar brine, close with 2-part lids.
    
11. Put your pickles-to-be in the fridge for a week, then eat them. They'll keep a couple of months, but they won't last that long!! This year I tried sealing some of the jars in a pressure canner (10#, 25 minute for quarts), but I haven't tried those yet.

Happy Pickles!