The wife and I are a bit burned out on the Ball Dill Pickling mix. We've looked around in a few books but haven't found one we really like.

What we're looking for is a good salty, sour pickle spice recipe. If we could duplicate a cold pack flavor like Claussen's that would be great.

We do like the Ball mix, but it comes out a little too sweet, and not quite sour enough for our tastes.

So the request is: Post your best dill pickle spear or whole recipe that pushes the envelope on what you get from the store-bought mixes. We're willing to try fermenting in a jug for a while before waterbath canning/preserving, but ultimately we want a durable, tasty, pickle that we can pull out of the pantry in the middle of freezing January and invoke Summertime and summon the burger gods and the goddes of the grill..

It can't be too hard, right?

Hive mind, you have been challenged!


vivere paratus

NONE.  Salty and sour like sauerkraut

Top left to right, Okra with a onion wedge thrown in, jalapenos, okra

Bottom left to right cuke spears with half a jalapeno, then cuke chunks with a  pearl onions, halved jalapeno and carrots, then cuke spears, then jalapenos, and pearl onions.

All in all I canned 12 pints, as a test batch.

I did corn relish that is not shown. Corn, green tomato, onion and bell pepper.

Used Bozemans brine and canning method, heated the jars in the oven. They All sealed.

Added pepper corns, Cheyenne flakes, minced garlic, dill blooms and grape leaves to the peppers, relish and cukes. No pepper corns in the relish.

Plan to do dilly beans when my late beans start producing, we haven't gotten rain in a month.

Everything came from my garden and orchard. I am gonna try this with asparagus next spring.

I  have one of those.

Do yo mash it all into a crock like with german kraut or does it ferment under pressure in the jar?

Some of the best Kraut around here is fermented in the jar with a spoon of sugar and salt per quart jar. The cabbage is packed in the jar without water or anything, lidded and stored in absolute darkness. good stuff

Well it was traditionally done in crocks but over the years the crocks have gotten cracked or whatnot so we use 5 gallon buckets with pillow cases in them.

It ferments in the bucket. With a weight on top of course.

Just been done that way all my life but I assume it keeps any of the gunky solids that build up off the food and not needing rinsing.

You can see it in my earlier pictures.

I am always prepared to defend my pickle stash.

Starting up again. Going to use Bozeman's recipe next batch.

Just canned two five gallon buckets of pickled ketchup.

And finished off my second jar of pickles.

...been waiting for the scoop.

Post up a detailed recipe and process for the GTK/Chow-chow, please!    Old family secret recipes die horrible deaths if they aren't shared with friends on the internet.

GTK is at mommas house. Need to go the two hour round trip to pick up my half of the bounty.

Here is a jar from last batch. For an idea of what we will be getting.

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I just cracked a jar of the Bozeman pickles I posted. Way Better than Claussen brand, which is my favorite pickle. So Crunchy and good. The Grape leaf must have done something, I have never had a pickle more crunchy than these. It was a jar of chunks. Everyone needs to make these.

update I tried the Okra with onion wedge. The okra pod was not crunchy but the seeds made up for it, Awesome taste tho. I don't think I put a grape leaf in this jar. The onion was crunchy and awesome.  When I do quarts I am gonna put pearl onions in the bottom and okra on top. They go good together.

Update again, tried the corn relish. (corn, green tomato, green pepper, onion, garlic, pepper flakes, dill bloom, grape leaf) and it is my favorite so far. This is going to be great with grilled sausages. Bozeman is the boss.

Update a third time. Tried the Jalapenos, they taste like burning. But good.

update 4 9-2 Just did some more pint sized dilly beans, green tomatoes, and more corn relish.

Plan on doing 12 quarts of pickles, 6 quarts each or relish and green tomatoes and onions

Update 5 been pouring the brine of the first batch into a pickled bologna jar as I eat the goodies, and just got enough to pickle 20 eggs.

I didn't read all ten pages but wanted to add my quick pickle recipe I use a lot with surplus cucumbers. I also make homemade kimchi and pickle and ferment other things as well. You can add some fresh peppers for heat to this recipe. Just drop them in at the end. The fresh dill and garlic is the key to the quick taste.

3 1/2 cups water

1 1/4 cups white vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon sea salt

4 cups cucumber spears

2 cloves garlic, whole

2 heads fresh dill

Stir water, vinegar, sugar, and sea salt together in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil; remove from heat and cool completely.

Combine cucumber spears, garlic cloves, and fresh dill in a large glass or plastic container. Pour cooled vinegar mixture over cucumber mixture. Seal

container with lid and refrigerate for at least 3 days.

This year I did 24 quarts, 18 pint and a half jars, and 24 pints using the BozemanMT recipe.

I think the best thing I have tried (to my taste) is a coarse cut relish of onion, carrot, green tomato, cucumber, sweet pepper (bell, banana,pablano, cubanelle, etc)  and whole garlic cloves.

I add sweet corn if I have it to fill in areas between the coarser cut vegies and pack the jars tightly to maximize space. You could add okra chunks or snapped green beans if you like. I think stringless French filet beans would be ideal.

I spice each quart jar by putting into the bottom. (half this for pints, double it for half gallons, etc. You only need one grape leaf per jar)

-half a jalapeno cut length wise
-a few dill blooms and fronds,
-1 table spoon of minced garlic
-1 teaspoon+ each of red pepper flakes & pepper corns
- half tea spoon of dill seed.
-1 grape leaf (preserves crispness of vegetables)

I have developed a method to keep the loose spices at the bottom of the jar. I add the jalapeno, pepper corns, pepper flakes, dill seed and minced garlic first and put the grape leaf on top and then the dill blooms on top of the leaf. Works pretty well. I also add closer to a teaspoon and a half to a table spoon of pepper corn and flakes and a teaspoon of dill seed. Not everyone likes bold spiciness. I use the big jars of store bought organic prepared minced garlic for spice. Most time "organic' doesn't matter, but to me petroleum based fertilizers make onions taste bad.

if you know you want to pickle plant a dill patch, Mammoth is my recommendation. I usually grow 100-150 plants of dill. I use it fresh and grow for seed so 100-150 is a good number. It doesn't need much room either I grow that much in about a 75 foot row. Home grown dill is much tastier than store bought.

>thoughts on what to use and how to can stuff.

>Wide mouth jars are best for this. I heat my jars to 250 in the oven for a half hour while the brine in coming to a boil.

>I put the flats in a small sauce pan of water and boil them. I stagger them seal up seal down so they don't get stuck together.

>I wear a heat resistant glove on my left hand and use it to get jars and flats. I get a jar out as I need them and leave them in the 250 degree oven until I need them.

>After packing and adding brine I wipe the top of each jar and add the flat, tightly screw on the band and set each jar upside down on the lid for a few hours.

>Keep the brine simmering, keep the jars in the oven, keep the flats in boiling water, remove them as you need them. Pack the jars tightly to maximize space. I can get the better part of 2 and three quarters gallons of loose produce into 12 quarts.

>Use a jar funnel to add produce and brine to jars. I put the vegies in gallon pitchers so I can pour them into the jars and then pack them down into the jar with the bottom of a glass. Don't pack too tight, just pack enough to push the stuff down and fill in the pockets that form. It takes about an hour and a half to make 3 gallons of pickles if you manage your time right.

>Make sure all your vegies are room temp before canning. Cold vegies might cool the brine in the jar and cause your jars not to seal.

this is how I do the brine

>1&1/4 cups of pickling salt
>1 quart and 1 cup of 10% apple cider vinegar
>1 gallon of water

I still haven’t made it over to their house to get any of the new batch and will report back when I get some.

So I've been doing pickles for a few years now. My biggest question at this point is how do you keep them crisp? Whether sliced or spears, mine just don't tend to come out as crunchy as store bought. I've heard of something called "pickle crisp" - does that work, or is it more dependent on the cucumbers themselves and how they're canned?

I’ve heard it works. Never tried it. Sometimes it’s the type of pickle or when you actually get them to can. Sometimes a few days off the vine can make a difference in the product in the jar

@Kitties-with-Sigs

Forgot to come back and post this up.

Already ate a pint. It turned out great.

I’ve put it on bologna sammiches, pizza, cold out of the jar.

I can eat a pint in a sitting if I’m not careful.

My main thing I use it for is a couple healthy spoon fulls in a bowl of some pinto or white soup beans.

My granny liked it in with some fried potatoes cooked up in bacon grease.

@Kitties-with-Sigs

Here is a pic of the new batch.

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Mine are crunchy using the recipe I listed. Which is BozemanMT's with the spices I use it. Are you buying pickling pickles or salad pickles? Salad pickles will get soft.

Pickling pickles might not be available in grocery store produce sections. I grow mine or buy them from a farmers market.

The Bozeman method produces pickles more crunchy than any store pickles I've had with or without adding a grape leaf.

I’ll get the recipe and send it to you when I get the chance. It’s too good to not share.

How long do these pickles stay in good condition? Do they get mushy after a year or two?

I’ve got some I made in 2015 that are still crunchy

Cool, thanks. I have a couple quarts from 2017 and wondered what I'd find when I open them.

Very motivated to try to make these today.

You will not be disappointed!

Well I attempted. Its been an hour and lids have not popped. I will wait until tomorrow night (24+ hours) and if they are not popped, I will start over.

Did you set them upside down on the lids after screwing on the band?

That is important.

Also the vegies should be room temp when you put them in the jar. Fresh out of the fridge might cool the water before the flat seals.

I know some of you were looking for the GTK recipe.  I need to look in to getting that from momma.  

Her and dad are seniors and vulnerable.  Mrs. G works in a hospital and I work with the public and criminals, so have been keeping distance.  

Before now I just forgotten to get it.

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New batch of GTK.

Last batch came out a little too salty and couldn’t be redeemed.


Going to try and make a batch of pickles if I can find the produce.

Just re reading this thread because its that time of year but alton browns firecracker carrot recipe is excellent

Pickled Beets

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Salsa

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Italian peppers in tomato sauce

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More pickled beets and stewed tomatoes

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This doesn’t count the 12 gallons of GTK and 6 dozen ears of pickled corn we have made.

Still planning on doing bread and butter pickles and apple butter.

Pickled green tomatoes, onions, and carrots.


Brine
1 quart and 1 cup 5% apple vinegar
1&1/4 cup pickling salt
to 1 gallon of distilled water


Spice per half gallon  jar: 6-7 Fresh dill blooms, 2-3 table spoons cayenne pepper flakes, 2-3 table spoons black pepper corns, 1 bulb of crushed garlic cloves per jar.

Made 12 in this batch.


I made a post about burn beds and can't find it. I was going to add pictures of my fall burn bed here in a week or so, and the plants fully fruiting from the spring bed. Did it get archived or something?

Is it ok if I make a Part II thread?

I used to make about 15 gallons of pickled cucs every summer, but I haven't had time to put out a garden the past few years.  About a year ago my old stash ran out and I had to resort to buying store bought pickles (and salsa).  I felt so dirty.  Fast forward to this weekend.  A buddy was done with his pickle patch, so we and three buddies cleaned it out.  I got five x five gallon buckets of cucs.  Yesterday, Mrs. Buckshot, Grandma and I made up six gallons using Grandma's old recipe.  I'm hoping to do about the same or more tonight as well.

So glad this thread popped back up!

Agreed... its awesome.

Has anyone ever tried throwing a grape leaf in to help keep them crisp?

Read about a few people trying it, and I happen to have a shit load of wild grapes growing on my property.   I might have to try it this weekend when I make the next batch.

Yup. It works. Put the leaf on top of your dry spices in the bottom of the jar to keep them trapped in the bottom of the jar.

Put the Dry spice like pepper flakes, whole pepper corns, and dill seed under the grape leaf. I put the fresh dill blooms on top of the leaf and dry spices (cayenne flakes, pepper corns) under.

Thanks, I'll be doing it this weekend.

You're welcome.

This is an amazing thread. Found it yesterday morning and just finished reading today. I got inspired. Yesterday I bought pickling cucumbers, okra and green beans. I also got tai peppers, garlic, peppercorns, 5% apple cider vinegar and a couple cases of mason jars. We live in Grapevine Tx. So we happen to have a big wild Grapevine that is producing grapes for the grape leaves.

Going to give this a try today. I think I’m going to get a few pounds of jalapeños to put up as well. I’ll report back with the results.

Gave this a whirl today. First time pickling anything. I'm quite confident in the recipe, hopefully I did my part and they turn out.

From the looks of it, people are using the same brine and methods for other vegetables. Am I correct in assuming that I use this for banana peppers and zucchini?

banana peppers work for sure. all fresh peppers will. if you want to do jalapeno or similar type peppers I suggest chopping them.

summer squash including zucchini tend to get mushy, and I never liked the taste or texture raw.

peppers, corn, tender stringless green beans, beets, carrots, onions, garlic, leeks, firm green tomatoes, okra, all cans well with this method.

remember you want the vegetables at room temp, not just out of the fridge. You don't want cold produce cooling the brine.

It will also work very well with green tomatoes.