Dill Pickles

I was finally able to find fresh dill. Had to drive almost 20 miles but I found some!! So now, time for some dill pickles!

First is the cucumber prep. A recipe I found online said to soak the pickles (I did slices) in ice water for at least 2 hours. This is supposed to help them stay crunchy.
Next was the garlic. Peeled and cut in half. I did about 1 clove per jar, but the cloves I had were big. If you have smaller cloves you may want to add more.

Next is the dill, freshly washed and I just trimmed the tough ends. Each jar got a clove (or 2) of garlic and a few sprigs of the fresh dill.

Packed the cucumber slices in each jar and over it poured the hot vinegar mixture which was 1/3 cup pickling salt dissolved in about 5 cups of water and 2 cups plain white vinegar. Brought to a boil then ladled in the jars, just like the last pickle recipe, leaving a 1/2" headspace.

These do have to "marinate" for longer than the sweet & spicy ones, about 2 months. They do look really good! I can't wait to try them!

This week I am "jamming" (ok that was lame) making strawberry jam & spiced peach jam. I started my strawberry jam this morning but I didn't realize that I am out of sugar (and fresh lemons!) so I had to put it on hold until I go to the grocery store this afternoon.

Guess I could do some scrapbooking stuff since it seems like I haven't in a while...