Crisp cucumber pickles on a sandwich give a nice crunch and flavor burst. The cucumbers in this recipe are cold pickled so, with the exception of adding the boiling hot brine to each jar filled with sliced cucumbers, dill, garlic, and pickling spices, there is no cooking involved.  Once the jars are capped and cooled we store them in the fridge for up to 30 days.  This keeps the pickles nice and crisp.

While salad cucumbers will do in a pinch, “slicers” are our go-to variety for making sandwich pickles.

Preparation Time:  30 minutes

Cooking Time:  10 minutes (to boil the brine)

Yields:  4 1 pint jars

Ingredients:

• 4-5 medium length cucumbers (about 6 to 7 inches long)
• 3 cups apple cider vinegar (may also use either white or rice vinegar)
• 3 cups distilled water
• 2 tbsp kosher salt (1 1/2 tsp per pint to be filled)
• 2-4 cloves of garlic cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick slices (your preference how garlicky you want your pickles…we used 4)
• 2 1/2 tbsp pickling spices (2 tsp per pint to be filled)
• 4 sprigs fresh dill
• 4 1 pint canning jars with lids and caps

Preparation:

• Wash and trim off the ends of each cucumber, slice into 1/4 inch thick slices, preferably with a mandolin (see photo above); set aside.
• Dill:
  • Remove and discard any wilted or discolored leaves or stems, and the thickest part of the stem, wash and pat dry fresh sprigs of dill, cut the remaining sprigs of dill in half, set aside.
• Peel and slice the garlic into 1/4 inch thick slices; set aside.
• Sterilize the jars and lids:
  • Place the jars, lids, and rings in a large soup or stock pot, fill the pot with enough water to have at least 1 inch above the top of the jars.
  • Place the pot on a burner set to high, bring to a boil for 1 minute.
  • Using canning tongs, carefully remove the jars, lids, and rings, empty the hot water in the jars into the sink; set aside the sterilized jars, lids, and rings.

Brining:

• Place 1 tsp of pickling spices, 1 half of a sprig of dill and 2 garlic slices on the bottom of each jar.
• Pack each jar snugly with cucumber slices.
• Place 1 tsp of pickling spices, 1 half of a sprig of dill and 2 garlic slices on top of the cucumbers in each jar.
• Boil the brine:
  • Put the water, vinegar, and salt in a medium sauce pot.
  • Bring to a boil and stir to ensure all the salt has dissolved.
• Using a ladle, pour enough of the brine into each jar to fill it to to 1/4 inch below the top of the jar.
  • Give each jar a couple of taps to ensure any trapped air is allowed to escape.
  • You may need to add a little more of the mixture if the level goes below 1/4 inch from the top.
• Wipe the rim of each jar with a clean paper towel.
  • This will ensure there aren’t any particles on the rim that would potentially cause a poor seal.
• Place a sterilized lid and cap over each jar and hand tighten.
• Carefully place each jar on a rack to cool.  Once cooled store in the fridge for up to 30 days.
• Note:  You should hear a little “pop” once the jars have cooled and a vacuum is created inside the jar.  If you look at a canning lid you will notice a small, circular bump in the center of each lid.  If the canning process is successful and you have a good seal, once the pasteurized jars have cooled and created a vacuum inside the jar, that circular bump of the lid will be “sucked” into the jar, so to speak, creating that “popping” sound.  If you don’t hear that sound and the circular bump isn’t flat then you did not get a good seal but don’t worry because you are storing these jars in the fridge; simply use this jar first.

Enjoy!