Old Fashioned Kosher Garlic and Dill Pickles

I love cucumbers and an awesome way to preserve them is to pickle them! Pickles have been a favorite of mine since childhood. My sister especially loves them so I knew that the true test for this recipe would be to get my sister to like them. Well, she does! I found this recipe here and I altered the amounts just a little bit. My version will be below. The pickles come out with a more noticeable garlic flavor rather than dill, but I like them that way. Also, I tried this recipe out twice. The first time I left the cucumbers whole, which is what the original recipe calls for, but I found that the pickles still tasted a little cucumber-y and not as pickle-y as I would have liked. So the second time I cut the cucumbers into quarters and it came out perfect!


Ingredients:

1.5 lbs young and small cucumbers (dark green, firm, warty skin-- usually sold in produce stores as pickling cucumbers)
4 sprigs fresh dill
4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and snip one end off
water
kosher salt
white vinegar

In a large jar (only big enough to hold the pickles, it should be filled to the top once you're done), place 2 sprigs of dill and 2 cloves of garlic in the bottom. Wash the cucumbers, cut them into quarters and add them to the jar until it is full. Add water to the jar one cup at a time. For every 3 cups of water add 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Top with 2 more sprigs of dill and 2 more cloves of garlic. Once the jar is full, seal it and shake gently to mix. Set in a window where it will get some sun. Allow approximately 4 days for fermenting. Refrigerate after the 4 day fermenting period is up and enjoy!

The picture below is from my first attempt at the pickles when I left them whole.

SAFETY NOTE: As I was researching pickling recipes I was also researching recipes for preserving sun-dried tomatoes in oil. I came across an interesting fact that I didn't know about fresh garlic! Apparently when packing sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil you should NOT use fresh garlic in this mixture. The combination of fresh garlic and olive oil provides the perfect breeding ground for Botulism when stored at room temperature! The lack of oxygen in the olive oil and the low-acidity of the fresh garlic is what does it. Raising the acid level of the garlic will prevent this problem. In the above recipe the vinegar provides the necessary acidity. DO NOT skip out on the vinegar in this recipe! Also, make sure to store your pickles in the refrigerator as soon as the 4 day fermenting period has completed.