No canning required!!! Just like the fresh, crispy pickles you get in a New York deli, these are a family favorite going way back to when I had a garden in my twenties. My kids were just toddlers, and they loved these pickles. The cucumbers were brought in, washed and immediately placed in a sun tea jar full of brine.
My son recently reminded me of these pickles, and of course I had to make a batch. The recipe has improved over the years, but the basic brine is timeless. Easy and quick to make, the only issue you might have is waiting for them to cure, and you will likely have to make more than you think. They go fast!
There is no vinegar in this recipe. You will get a slightly sour, salty taste that comes with patience and fermentation. If you don't wait long enough, your pickles will be salty (which is fine if your like me and like to taste test).
A few things I have learned:
As mentioned (I feel I need to say again), be sure to wait the full 3 days for the best taste, and 4 days will be even better. The salt will mellow and you will get that sour taste from the fermentation process.
I like to use dried dill weed in this recipe for convenience, but fresh dill works just fine. I have used both, and don't really notice a difference.
I like to grind my spices from whole ALWAYS, but you can use pre-ground if that is what you have available. Remember, you get so much more flavor grinding whole spices, so it is worth the extra effort.
Regular mustard seed works here, but black mustard seed has a spicier profile that I really like.
This recipe is made to work in a 1/2 gallon jar. I have a decorative jar I purchased at Walmart, but a sun tea jar or 1/2 gallon mason jar will work just fine.
I use Ball Pickle Crisp, which is just calcium chloride. There are other brands out there, and it is fine to substitute. Just follow the manufacturer's instructions. You can omit altogether, but your pickles will not stay crispy for as long.
I typically use the blade of a knife to crush the garlic clove before adding to the mixture to ensure all the flavor is released. I used dehydrated garlic slices in my most recent batch, and it worked splendidly and was super convenient. You can also mince or slice your cloves.
Half Sour Pickles
Ingredients
~10 pickling cucumbers
2 bay leaves
5 whole cloves garlic, crushed with knife
½ teaspoon black peppercorns, coarsely ground
½ teaspoon black mustard seed, coarsely ground
½ teaspoon coriander, coarsely ground
¼ teaspoon Ball Pickle Crisp
½ teaspoon dill weed (or sprig of fresh dill)
¼ cup salt
5-6 cups water
Directions
Thoroughly wash and cut the blossom ends off of the cucumbers and place in a 1/2 gallon jar, leaving at least an inch of jar space at the top.
Add whole bay leaves and crushed garlic to jar.
Coarsely grind whole spices and add to jar.
Fill the jar with enough water to cover the cucumbers. You may have extra, and that is okay. Leave some room in the jar so that the cucumbers can freely and fully marinade in the brine.
Refrigerate for three days, carefully swirling/shaking jar each day to redistribute spices.
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