I posted this photo earlier today while helping my mom canning dill pickles, and lots of people are asking for the recipe, so here it is! It's super easy and can be done in an afternoon if you have all the ingredients. Dill Pickles
Makes 8 quarts
Raw pickles, whole, speared, sliced, or whatever, at room temperature
6 tbsp dill seed, divided
8 "toes" of garlic
1 tsp alum, divided
5 cups vinegar
8 cups water
3/4 cup salt
8 quart canning jars, with lids and rings
Pack pickles into quart jars. To each jar, add 3/4 tbsp dill seed, a "toe" of garlic, and about 1/8 of a tsp of alum. Prep your canning jar lids so they're ready to seal as soon as the jars are ready (My mom usually warms in a small pot of warm water on the stove, kept on low).
In a large saucepan, combine the water, vinegar, and salt and bring to a boil. Once the brine is boiling, pour into each jar to cover the pickles - keep the brine boiling so it's as hot as possible. The best way to do this is to set one jar at a time in a bowl or 4-cup glass measure and ladle the brine in. Then wipe the mouth of the jar dry with a paper towel, top with one of the prepped canning lids, and screw on the ring. Set the jars aside to cool, with a couple inches of space between each one. You're done! Listen for the lids to "pop" so that you know they're sealed and then you're safe to put them away. Let stand for a few days to let the flavors set in and then you can break them open and eat them.
If you have more than 8 quarts worth of pickles (we were able to stuff 15 jars with a half-bushel of fresh whole pickles) just add the dill, garlic, and alum to each jar as above and then multiply the brine accordingly.
