Dill Pickles From The Garden

It's time to plan and plant cucumber in your garden....If not head for the dollar store and buy 6 to 12 jars for the year, depending on the size of your family. I know they may not be as good as this recipe, but what's life without dill pickles. (Great for potato salads, leg cramps and are an anti fungal because of the vinegar. Low in calories and a great in between meal snack.)

Dill Pickles
Prep: 30 minutes; process 10 min. (Let stand one week)
Ingredients;
3 to 3 ½ lbs of small pickling cucumbers (organic)
4 cups white vinegar
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup pickling salt
6 Tbs. Dill seeds
1.Thoroughly rinse cucumbers. Cut off a thin slice from both ends of each cucumber. Slice into ¼ to ½ inch thick slices. In large non-reactive pot ( no aluminum); combine water, vinegar, sugar and pickling salt. Bring to boiling.
2.Meanwhile prepare jars. Pack cucumbers loosely into hot, pint canning jars, leaving a ½ inch head space. Add 1 Tbs. Dill seeds into each jar. Pour hot vinegar mixture into jars, leaving a ½ inch head space. Discard any remaining vinegar mixture an. Wipe jar rims; top with lids.
3. Cold Pack:Process in boiling water cannier (hot pack) for 10 minutes. Start the timing when water returns to boiling). Remove jars; cool on racks. Let stand 1 seek. Makes 6 Pints
Options:
Add 1-2 whole hot red Chile peppers (Thai or cayenne) when packing the cumbers.
To make sweet dill pickles increase sugar up to 3 cups.
2 cups thinly sliced onion with the pickling salt and layer with heavy plate and chill overnight.
¼ cup is only 25 cal.
Used UN-waxed cukes picked just before canning. Don't use table salt. Use only whole spices. If you have hard water, use distilled.
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