Delicious garlic dill cucumber pickles that have all the crunch and none of the soggy. Tested safe canning recipe for shelf-stable pickles for year round garden goodness!
Recipe by Melissa Norris on July 8, 2015
Prep time: PT30M
Cook time: PT15M
Total time: PT765M
4.38 stars (8 reviews)
Garlic Dill Pickles, Homemade Pickles Recipe, Pickles
- Prepare your cucumbers by cutting off ¼ inch of the blossom end and placing them in a salt and ice water bath for at least 12 hours.
- While your cucumbers soak, add all brining ingredients (vinegar, water, salt, sugar and pickling spices) into a large heavy-bottomed pot. Pro Tip: Use a tea infuser for your pickling spices so you don't have to strain the brine!
- Bring the brine mixture to a simmer and let steep for 10 minutes.
- Before preparing the pickles, set up your water bath or steam canner by adding water and bringing it up to just under a boil.
- Add to each clean Mason jar the garlic, mustard seed, grape leaf (or other tannin) and dill.
- Fill jars with cucumbers. Leave a generous one-inch headspace with the cucumbers. Pro Tip: I like to start with the largest cucumbers first, then fill in the gaps with smaller cucumbers.
- Place jars on a towel-lined counter and carefully ladle the hot brine into each jar, leaving ½ inch headspace.
- Use your jar de-bubbler and measure your headspace again, adding more brine if needed.
- Wipe the rim of the jar clean with a damp towel.
- Add the two-piece Mason jar lids and tighten to fingertip tight.
- Place jars into your water bath canner and make sure they're covered by one to two inches of water. Bring water to a boil and process quart jars for 15 minutes and pints for 10 minutes. Pro Tip: If you're 1,000 feet above sea level, increase processing time by 5 minutes.
- After the processing time, turn off the heat and remove the lid of your water bath canner. Let your jars sit for five minutes before removing them from the canner. (If using a steam canner, turn off the heat and leave the lid on for five minutes before removing the lid and proceeding to the next step.)
- Place jars on a towel-lined counter and let sit for 12-24 hours, undisturbed.
- Check the seals of the jars, remove the bands, and wipe any residue from the jar with a damp towel.
- Finally, label each jar with the contents and the date and store in a single layer on the pantry shelf.