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This past weekend I finally got to walk to the farmers market here in Walnut Creek with Pat and Rhody. Of course as soon as we got there we realized that dogs aren’t allowed, but Pat was only going to appease me anyways so I walked through quickly and picked up all the end-of-summer fruits and veggies to make my canning-loving heart content. That, and some kettle corn which was a total impulse buy perfectly positioned at the end of the lot. We needed kettle corn, know what I mean?

Anyways… I have been canning like crazy and made some three-berry jam with the freshest, sweetest blackberries, raspberries and strawberries you’ll ever taste - I make my jam with very little sugar because the berries are so sweet, you really don’t need it! Oh, and with a lemon straight off the tree, I added some fresh squeezed lemon juice for a tiny added kick of flavor. If you want a quick DIY on how to can jam, I put one up last summer and you can find it here.

Along with my berries, though, I also purchased some mini cucumbers perfect for pickles along with sweet, white peaches for chutney that I’ll be making later this week when they ripen just a bit more. Last night I made all the dills and once I put a pic up on instagram, I had several requests for the recipe. So… here you go! PS - I totally have to credit my Aunt Becky for this because she showed me how to make dill pickles, step by step, one summer day years ago in her kitchen.

Dill Pickles Recipe - modified from mccormick’s version
Yields 6-8 pint jars or 10-12 8-oz jars. You can get your jars at your local hardware store, the grocery store (sometimes) or Target (for sure). In fact, Target had them at 10% off when this post was published on August 29, 2012.

Ingredients:
for the prep
18-20 mini cucumbers (about 4-5 inches long)
4 teaspoons ground turmeric (I just eyeball it and usually add a bit more for color)
2 1/2 quarts boiling water
LARGE bowl, big enough for all the cucumbers plus room to stir boiling water when you add it
for the pickles
1 jar dill seed
1 jar dill weed (dried)
6 cloves fresh chopped garlic (or more depending on your taste preference)
4 cups distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)
4 cups boiling water
4-5 tablespoons non-iodized salt (think popcorn salt, the really powdery kind)

Directions
1. Rinse cucumbers well with cold water. Trim ends and quarter cucumbers lengthwise. Place in large bowl with turmeric. Pour boiling water over cucumbers; stir well. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Drain. Rinse and drain again.

2. Place 1 tablespoon each dill seed and dill weed, and 1 teaspoon minced garlic in each of your jars. Note - I totally eyeball this. I like my pickles really dilly so I usually add a little more than this. Totally up to your taste preference!

3. Mix last three ingredients on the list (4 cups water, 4 cups vinegar, salt) in large saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring to dissolve salt. When ready, pour in to a large pitcher or measuring cup (in increments) so it’s easier to pour in to the jars later.

4. Meanwhile, firmly pack cucumber wedges vertically into jars. Ladle (or pour from pitcher) hot liquid over cucumbers, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Run thin, non-metallic utensil down inside of jars to remove air bubbles. Wipe rim of jars clean with damp cloth. Cover jars with metal lids and screw on bands.

5. Process in boiling water canner at 180° to 190°F (simmering water) for 15 minutes. After processing jars, remove from water bath canner. Cool at room temperature on towel or rack for 12 to 24 hours. You’ll know they’re ready when you hear the seals popping in the other room. Dill pickles are processed at a slightly lower temperature (simmering water vs. boiling water) to produce pickles that do not become too soft.

enjoy!

{rhody photobomb}