Dill Pickles

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at my best friends moms recipe and then there was your show!!!! WOW!!! thank you!!! now I'M handing out the recipes!!!

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For those not interested in a science project, or lacking space to keep pickles soaking for several days, here is a much easier way to make great dill pickles.

1. Get copy of Better Homes and Gardens Home Canning Cookbook.
2. Look up Kosher Dill recipe.
3. Follow recipe, preferably using pickling cucumbers and dill that were picked and refrigerated no more than 3 or 4 days before canning. Skip the hot peppers if you like.

I've been making these for 25 years, and never seen a reason to change recipes.

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I am trying this recipe now with my biology students to show them how lactic acid fermentation works. However, I was thinking about your results and have concluded that your cucumbers must have had some issues. Even good-looking cukes can go bad and they can do so very quickly! They must be really firm all over with no softer areas. Those soft spots indicate rot beginning inside them. As for the flower end, I saw where a tad bit of discoloration can enter the fruit. As the blossom forms and the ovary closes around the end where the pollen grains entered into the female flower's ovary, I can see how it would be inevitable for pathogens to get into that end. Follow Alton's advice and cut it out! I bet a pre-existing fungus is the source of the problem if all other conditions were met.
Try again! Keep on trying !(Science teacher, but professional horticulturist.

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Many, Many Years ago (Circa late 30s early 40s my Mother pickled peppers, cucumbers and other veggies in a crock which held approx 5 to 10 gallons of pickling fluid. The crock was kept under the Kitchen sink - it was an open arae as the sink was not in a cabinet. The crock stayed there year round. There was a wooden cover with a handle that fit into the crock. I think my Dad made the cover. All we had to do was lift the cover, stick our hand into the brine and pull out what ever we wanted to eat when ever we had the urge. I have been searching for a recipie that would allow me to set up the same system in my home. Your recipe seems to fill the bill with a few exceptions. You say store in the refrigerator for up to two months. Mother did not store in a refrigerator - all we had was an ice box at the time - and as I said that crock was basically full year round with delicious pickled peppers and cucumbers. Can you advise me on this as to any possible changes to make to your recipe to prolong the storage period and/or not refrigerate the product (A five gallon crock won't fit to well in a refrigerator?

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This is my first time with this recipe and I was curious about whether I'm doing it correctly or not.

I'm using glass crocks because I couldn't find anything else. YES or NO?
I have the lids on the jars but they aren't secured down. They just sit on top YES or NO?

The fermentation has taken longer than 3 days to actually begin. The items have CO2 bubbles on it but nothing's rising. The water's cloudy however.

I'm a Science teacher doing this with my students and I just want to make sure I'm doing this correctly. Any additional advice would be greatly appreciated.

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Dan from Brooklyn, I'm wondering if you have a lot of mold in your environment; that could very well cause them to "implode." You can order a test for household mold.

I made these last year, kept them near an open window, and they turned out great! Those that made it past four or five months in my fridge started to get a little soggy, but I wasn't supposed to keep them around that long anyway. I added garlic and hot banana peppers to mine, too, to "Polarize" them (made them like my mom's Polish dills, only better, but don't tell my mom about that.

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the thing you MUST do is check the level of the brine .. You may have to top it off a couple times a day depending on how the fermentation goes.. Also it is VERY important to use fresh firm cukes.. I used air dried red sea salt on my last batch and they began bubbling after 24 hours . .mmmm mmm goood!

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I followed the instructions exactly. My ingredients were good (specific pickling salt, good cukes from whole foods, and the spices were good and fresh. The first time I did the recipe this is what happened:
- fermentation evidently started after 2-3 days; I saw bubbles rising from the sides of the crock.
- after a couple more days, I checked on the cucumbers and some had sort-of imploded. Some were soft to the touch and basically were disintegrating from the inside.
- After the allotted time period (and after discarding any that got soft I tasted the remaining ones that were still firm and, while tasting good, there was a slight funkiness. I got rid of them too.

The second time, I thought I would modify my method a bit:
- I made sure to cut off the blossom ends (well, is this the stem end or not? I cut off the stem end, even though I see stems on professional pickles
- Instead of Brita'd tap water (in Brooklyn, NY, I used bottled spring water.
- Same results as the first batch. If anything it was slightly worse.

So, what did I do wrong? I can't think of anything that I did differently than the recipe.

What does the softening and "imploding" of the cucumbers indicate?

Thanks,
Dan

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After 3 days my pickles have not stared bubbling, the brine has become cloudy though. I this ok? Smells great though.

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Easy and good. Just use NON Iodized salt (pickling salt and Distilled Water. If you have a good ferment I stick em in the fridge to slow it after 3 days. I also place a kitchen towel over the top and secure it to crock with a bungee cord. Let's air in to help w fermenting and keeps bugs and other stuff out.