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Spicy garlic dill pickles

These garlic dill pickles are redolent with the heat of dry chilies, fragrant herbs, and a strong brine. Adapted from an old Mennonite recipe, they remind me of the briny Russian pickles of my youth, the dented cans of preserved cucumbers that line Israeli supermarket shelves, and of birthdays past. I hope that you give them a try, whether canned in a traditional hot water bath, or aged in the refrigerator; they are sure to bring a pucker to your lips in any shape.

Course: Condiments

Ingredients

  • For a jar of pickles:
  • 2-3 cups of small Cornichon cucumbers or as many as fit in a 1-litre jar, washed and dried thoroughly
  • 2 cups of water
  • 1 cup of white vinegar
  • ⅙ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup pickling salt
  • 2 garlic cloves peeled
  • 1 dry red chilli peppers whole
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon of horseradish optional
  • several sprigs of dill

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Thoroughly wash and dry your cucumbers. Pick through for any ones going soft, and discard.
  2. Thoroughly clean and sterilize a 1-litre jar with a two-piece lid. If canning pickles in a traditional hot-water-bath method, prepare all of your tools (I follow Food in Jars' Marisa McClellan's excellent guide for canning, http://foodinjars.com/2013/07/new-to-canning-start-here-boiling-water-bath-canning/).
  3. Line sterilized jars with dill, garlic, bay leaf, chilli, and horseradish. Pack with scrubbed cucumbers, leaving one inch of room between the top of the jar and the lid.
  4. Bring water, vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil in a large pot. Pour hot brine over the cucumbers, ensuring the one inch of room at the top remains (but no more!). Seal jars. If following hot-water-bath canning procedures, boil jars long enough for the cucumbers to discolour, 10-12 minutes. Otherwise, place jar in fridge.
  5. Wait 2-3 weeks to taste. When ready, serve pickles with vodka, hummus, or whatever floats your boat.