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A while back I received canning jars from the Ball Corp. It really created a bug that I have not itched nearly enough. The first recipe I made with these jars was marmalade jelly. It showed me that canning just isn’t that hard. So next up was to try some pickling. This post is a simple guide on How to make your own Pickles. It is so easy and they tasted awesome. I am just amazed, the more I learn, how easy it is to do it yourself (DIY). There are so many grocery items we are used to buying in the grocery story. Reason being, we simply did not know how to make it at home.
How to make your own Pickles
Pickles might be one of the easiest DIY HACKS there is. Just buy cucumbers and put additional the ingredients in the jar and let the pickling begin. Now, I have a whole bunch of pickling spice in my pantry. For this recipe, however, I used 4 main ingredients with apple cider vinegar being the main pickling agent. I added garlic and dill to get these cucumbers to become more of a garlic pickle. If you want, you could also add red pepper flakes and kosher salt. I added the salt but kept these tame but not adding the red pepper flakes. I knew my audience and my audience would not like spice on these pickles.
It took way more time to sterilize the bottles than it did to assemble the ingredients. Simply cut the pickles in quarters and throw everything into the sterilized jars. Screw the top on tight and let the ingredients work over the next couple of days. That’s it. I definitely need to investigate other canning ideas. It will be so fun to grab jars from the pantry or the fridge and add them to a meal. Who wants to come over and spend a Sunday bottling a whole bunch of recipes?
The cast of characters.
Ingredients
Pickles quartered and then put in the jars with the garlic, dill apple cider vinegar and salt.
Cucumbers Quartered
Cucumbers Quartered and Added to Jars
Apple Cider Vinegar Added
Notice the change from the dark green color to the muted green following the pickling in the hero picture of How to make your own Pickles.
How to make your own Pickles plated
How to make your own Pickles
Ingredients
- 8 Medium Size Cucumbers quartered
- 4 Whole Garlic Cloves Peeled and smashed
- 2 Tsp Dill
- 1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Cup Water
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Kosher Salt
Instructions
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Prepare the jars: If you are planning to can your pickles for long-term storage, bring a large pot of water to a boil and sterilize the jars and their lids. If you are planning to make refrigerator pickles, simply washing the jars and lids is fine.
Prepare the cucumbers: Wash and dry the cucumbers. Trim away the blossom end of the cucumber, if necessary. Cut them into quarters.
Add the spices to the jars: Divide the garlic and dill between the two jars.
Pack the pickles into the jars. Pack them in as tightly as you can without smashing the cucumbers.
Bring the pickling brine to a boil: Combine the vinegar, water, and salt in a small sauce pan over high heat. Bring to a rolling boil. Let the brine cool a little. Then, pour the brine over the pickles, filling each jar to within 1/2-inch of the top. You probably will not use all the brine.
To remove the air bubbles - gently tap the top of the jars. Place the lids over the jars and screw on the rings until tight.
Let the jars cool to room temperature. If you prepared the jars for long term storing, then store on the shelf. If unprocessed, store the pickles in the fridge. The pickles will improve with flavor as they age — try to wait at least 48 hours before cracking them open.
Serve and enjoy!
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