A tale of two pickles between today and tomorrow – two different techniques that yield very different results, both with their own advantages. Today’s article is about quick dills – pickles that can be made and enjoyed within a few weeks and will peak in several months.
Mix the following and bring just to a boil and ensure all ingredients are dissolved:
2. 3 cups vinegar – white vinegar is typically used, though you can mix 50-50 with cider vinegar if you’d like. Cider vinegar is sweeter. You need a vinegar with a minimum of 6% acidity – if the label doesn’t specify, find one that does.
3. 2 1/4 cups water – distilled/mineral water is preferred. Avoid chlorine from the tap or in many bottled waters. If you purchase your water, ensure it only has one ingredient (scary one has to specify this these days)
4. 1/4 cup of pickling or canning salt – this is different than kosher salt; it does not include additives that will otherwise cloud your brine.
Add to each jar:
5. A garlic clove
6. 1 teaspoon dill seeds
7. 1 teaspoon pickling spice (available on most spice racks)
8. 6-8 peppercorns
9. Pour the vinegar in the jars, hot. Leave about 1/4 inch headspace (air; this is a fairly standard amount of air).
10. Give a gentle shake to release any air bubbles, add liquid if required (you want to end up with the 1/4 inch – too much could lead to spoilage). You may need gloves if this is still hot.
Place sterilized seals, secure with rings and process in pressure cooker for 10 minutes. Cool on racks. Makes about 6 pints.
These are great when you are in a pinch – I make these to eat while I wait for my long-setting pickles brine – it’s like a pickle appetizer to prep for a pickle main course!
For more info on jarring, pressure cooking, preserving best practices, check out the preserving page above.