This summer in our Farm Discovery fields we decided to grow cucumbers, but not just any cucumbers, pickling cucumbers! They grew wonderfully and gave us more harvest then we knew what to do with. So, we did what you do with cucumbers and made pickles. We played around with a few different recipes with the kids in our summer camps and this is the one that we decided was best. This recipe is easy to modify and fun to do at home with the family!

Before we get to the recipe we wanted to give you a few helpful tips

  • When buying jars, we like to get wide mouth quart sized jars.  You can use pint sized as well but we suggest doing pickle chips if you are going to use this smaller size.
  • If your cucumbers have any tough scabby spots we recommend cutting them off.
  • The crunchier the cucumber is when you pickle it, the crunchier it will be after being pickled. So stay away from soft cucumbers
  • This recipe was altered to our liking, feel free to change it up depending on what you like.
  • Putting a tablespoon or two of vinegar in the water you are sterilizing jars with will help make sure a white coating does not appear on the jar.
  • After jars have been sterilized, try to not touch the inside of the jar as much as possible to avoid contamination.
  • This recipe also works well with green beans to make Dilly Beans.

Ingredients:

Brine:

1 cup water

1 cup vinegar

1 tbsp kosher salt or 2 tsp pickling salt

 

Herbs and Spices per jar (adjust to your liking):

1 tbsp dill seed or 1 sprig fresh dill

2 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp peppercorns

 

Pickling cucumbers cut into halves, spears, or slices (depending on the size of the cucumbers and jars)

 

Directions:

  1. Make brine by mixing water, vinegar, and kosher or pickling salt, in a pot over medium heat until lightly boiling
  2. Set brine aside to let cool to room temperature
  3. Sterilize jars and lids by boiling them in a pot for 10 minutes and place them upside down on a clean towel until cool enough to handle
  4. Add dill, garlic, and peppercorns to jar and pack tightly with cucumbers
  5. Fill jar with brine until all cucumbers are covered and put a lid on
  6. Let sit in the fridge for about at least a week to let the cucumbers take on all the yummy flavors
  7. Enjoy within a month of preparing

We hope you enjoy this fun, tasty recipe as a way to bring the family into the kitchen together, while also practicing preserving seasonal produce!