Dill Pickles

So, after a few years of very poor cucumber growth in my garden, I have finally found success.  Not sure if it is the manure that I put on the garden, the better quality seeds from Vesey's or that I put them in a different part of the garden, but do I ever have cucumbers this year!

I picked these earlier this week.  And they were just the ones that we already HUGE and turning yellow.  I was a little worried that they were going to be bitter, but they were very yummy!

I don't really know what's up with my pickle cucumbers, but they go from way too small to use (same diameter as the stems) to way too big for pickles almost overnight!  And before this week, there was only ever one ready at a time.  I was planning on waiting for enough of them to be ready to make dill pickles, but when I saw how many over grown "little" cucumbers that I had, I knew I had to do something!  So, after some internet searching for pickle recipes and looking in the cupboards to see what was there, I was left with little choice but to cut the pickles and make dills or go to the grocery store of other supplies.  And I didn't want to go to the store!

So, it was pickle making time!  First time in my life that I have ever made pickles by myself!  When I lived at home, I helped mom and grandma make pickles many times, but this is my first sole attempt!

My HUGE pickling cucumbers!

8 pounds of cut up cucumbers.

Soaking my soon to be pickles in ice water.

Cucumbers, garlic and dill in jars . . . 

. . . waiting for brine to be added.

Everything in the jars and ready to go into the canner.

Finished product . . . are they pickles yet?  Not yet, they need to sit for 1-2 months before we can try them.  I'll let you know then how they turned out!

Here is the recipe that I used, minus the hot peppers.  I will probably try another batch with hot peppers if my cucumbers keep growing like they have been!

  http://www.pickles-4u.com/Dill-Pickle-Recipe.php