Homemade Pickles – Fast, Easy, Taste Like Claussen!

Not only do these pickles taste just as good if not better than Claussen Pickles – they are quick, easy and you can eat them today!

I don’t like sweet pickles.

I don’t like bread-n-butter pickles.

I don’t like hot-n-spicy pickles.

I don’t like sweet-n-spicy pickles.

I even don’t like dill pickles sold in the grocery store aisle.

I only like the expensive ones sold in the refrigerated case.

If you too like ice-cold, crispy, garlicky, dill pickles – you have finally arrived.

Welcome, we’ve been waiting for you.

To make your very own crispy, salty, garlic, dill Pickles you will need:

• Cucumbers
• Fresh Garlic
• Apple Cider Vinegar (with the mother)
• Kosher Salt
• Pepper
• Dill

This recipe is a snap to make.

Here’s the super, quick overview:

1. Slice cukes and cram into jar
2. Top with garlic, pepper and dill
3. Pour brine over cukes.
4. Refrigerate (or process in a water bath)

Could this be any easier?

Here’s the step by step process:

First, make the brine.  This is the liquid that will be poured over the cucumbers in the jars.

Add some vinegar to the water.

Next goes in the salt & stir.  Set the heat to medium so the salt will dissolve & turn off the heat.  That’s it.  Brine is done.  

To learn how to peel a bunch of garlic in no time at all go here.  Once it’s peeled I use my chopper and dice it to smithereens.  You can stick the garlic into the jars whole or do a rougher chop if you don’t want your pickles quite so garlicky.  We love garlic so I mince mine.    

Now that the brine is ready and the garlic is ready, we can start stuffing jars.  I cut some cukes into spears…….

I sliced some……..

I left some whole.

Stuffing pickle jars is easy.  Be sure you cram as many cukes as you can into the jar.  Cram, jam, push, shove, squish, really get them in tight.

When you add the brine you will see how well you did “packing” the jars tightly.  If you only need to add a ladle or two of brine you did awesome.  If you must use your entire brine mixture on 2 jars, you need packing lessons.  

Add some of the chopped garlic on top of the cukes (about 2 cloves per jar).  You can cram the garlic pieces down between the cukes if you’re a super-duper tight packer…….

Sprinkle on the dill and the pepper.  

Top with the brine mixture.  If your jars are packed tight you will have enough brine to cover many jars.  If your cukes have a lot of empty space around them you will go through the brine quickly.
Wipe the rims.  Adjust the lids and rings on top of the jars.

Now give them a little shake.  See the garlic, dill, and pepper making its way to around the cukes.  This is good.

I transfer these into my spare refrigerator to marinate.

We ate a jar the day I made these!  The pickles will be more “pickley” after a day, even better after a week, but perfectly wonderful tonight if you can’t stand the wait!

When I make these I double the brine recipe (and chop some extra garlic).  I refrigerate extra brine in mason jars.  Leftover garlic goes into a storage zipper bag (also in the fridge).  As I harvest cucumbers I can chop them up, cram into jars and top with garlic, dill, pepper and brine from the fridge.  In 2 minutes I can pack fresh cukes (soon to be pickles).

So easy.

This gives us a constant supply of fresh pickles.  To keep track of how ‘seasoned’ the pickles are, be sure to write the date they were packed on the lid.

If you want your pickles to last til Christmas & Beyond – They must take a Hot Water Bath

Pickles don’t last long at our house (I have 4 pickle-loving children).  I keep mine in the refrigerator.  If you want to move them to long-term storage you will need to process them in a hot water bath canner for 10 minutes.

Be sure to follow your canner’s instructions for pickles.

Here are some tips:

• Bring brine to a boil
• Ladle hot liquid (brine) over cukes
• Leave 1/4 inch headspace
• Remove air bubbles
• Adjust rings and lids finger-tip tight
• Process in boiling water bath canner 10 minutes

I must say that I think sending cukes through a hot water bath reduces the quality and overall pickle experience.  As you can imagine, boiling cucumbers doesn’t do much for the crispy, fresh, crunchy factor.  But, if you want your pickles to last long term; it takes a little sacrifice.

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I’m heading back to the boiling, canning, and joys of summertime!

Print Recipe

Homemade Pickle Recipe

Crispy, salty, garlic, dill Pickles; that's what these are. If you like Claussen Pickles, you'll love these. They are fast to make and always crunchy.

Course

Preserves, Side Dish

Cuisine

Canning, veggies

Servings

jars

Ingredients

Brine

• 4 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup vinegar I use raw apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup Salt pickling

To Fill Jars

• 12-16 cucumbers
• 12 cloves garlic minced (about 2 cloves per jar)
• dash pepper per jar
• 6 tsp dill fresh - 1 tsp per jar

Course Preserves, Side Dish Cuisine Canning, veggies Servings jars Ingredients Brine 4 1/2 cups water 1 cup vinegar I use raw apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup Salt pickling To Fill Jars 12-16 cucumbers 12 cloves garlic minced (about 2 cloves per jar) dash pepper per jar 6 tsp dill fresh - 1 tsp per jar

Recipe Notes

To make brine:

Combine water, vinegar & salt in sauce pan & heat until salt dissolves.  Set aside.

To fill jars:

Slice and pack cucumbers into jars.  Add 2 cloves minced garlic, dash of pepper and 1 tsp of dill to each jar.  Cover with brine leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Adjust lids.  For crispiest pickles, transfer to refrigerator & enjoy.

For longer storage (up to 8 months) process 10 minutes in water bath canner (as directed by your canner).

Disclaimer:  Always follow directions specific to your equipment and elevation for canning.  Dispose of any home canned goods that show signs of spoilage which can include: bulging lids, leaking, corrosion, cloudy, mushy, moldy foods or disagreeable odors.

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