The two Tokyo Green Cucumber plants produced over 20 cucumbers in 3 days. I decided to can dill pickles. Knowing the increase in harvest would happen soon last week I had looked up various recipes and methods. I chatted with friends to hear their process.
This is my first year raising Tokyo Green cucumbers. They were gifted to me from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Read about all the other new garden plants I am raising here at CG Heartbeats Farm by clicking below.
Table of Contents
Memory Lane
I recalled my grandma’s crocks of marinating cucumbers beside the stairs to the clean basement. Oh, I almost smell the scents that rose up where my grandfather created anything from furniture to trinkets out of wood.
I learned folks used to soak cucumbers in lime or allum to crisp up the future pickles. I decided I would omit this part based on my desire to keep my process as healthy as possible. It seems many do not use this method now.
Before I started, I reached out to my aunts to find out if they had a recipe for my grandma’s bread and butter pickles. I was rewarded with a photo of my grandma’s hand written recipe card for bread and butter pickles. I want to try my hand at those next week.
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Ingredients for Dill Pickles
- Water
- Vinegar
- Salt for pickling
- Dill Seed
- Garlic
- Onion
Tools
- Glass Canning Jars
- Canning Rings
- Water Bath Canner
- Jar Lifter
- Stock Pot
- Table or counter top
- Stove
Preparation for Dill Pickles
Saturday, I purchased dill seed, and onions recently, and had a stash of wide mouth lids I have been intentionally accumulating. Also on Saturday, I harvested 10 cucumbers and stored them in the refrigerator. The day I canned, I harvested 14 additional cucumbers. I used around 20 cucumbers to make 14 pints of dill pickles.
I washed 7 pint jars to begin and placed them in a stock pot on the stove to warm them. You may desire to sterilize them in this manner, but I did not heat the jars hot enough for this.
Rather my goal was to reduce the amount of time they needed to reach the boiling point in the water bath to promote crisper pickles.
While the jars heated in the water filled stock pot, I cleaned and prepped 2 bulbs of garlic raised here on CG heartbeats Farm
Spanish Rojo Garlic smaller in size has an earthy flavor.
Metechi produces slightly more oil when pressed.
Click on the garlic of your choice to pre-order your selection.
Music Garlic is mild similar to Montana in flavor.
Elephant is known for its mild flavor as it is actually from the leek family.
German Garlic provides a strong flavor for stews and other cooking projects.
Limited availability of all varieties
My Process to Can Dill Pickles
First, I placed 1 tablespoon of dill seed in each jar.
Second, I chopped 2 cloves of garlic into each pint jar and added around a tablespoon of salt.
Third, I sliced Tokyo Green cucumbers into spear shapes filling the seven jars.
I filled the jars half full with apple cider vinegar and added hot water to just below the threads.
I pressed the top of the cucumbers with a plastic spoon to release air bubbles.
After, wiping the rim of the jars clean, setting the lids in place, I turned on the metal rings. Note: I often heat the lids prior to setting them on the jars, but skipped this time due to time and space constraints.
I felt excited to place the prepared jars into the water bath canner. I turned up the heat and waited for the water to boil.
Noting the time when I seen the water had a heavy rolling boil, I waited ten minutes. At this point, I started removing the processed dill pickles to cool. I like to set the jars on towel and often cover them with a towel to keep the heat in. A habit I picked up from watching my grandmother can food in her blue kitchen.
Checking for Sealed Lids
Is there any sound so sweet to a homesteader’s ears as the pop of a jar sealing? I heard the distinct pop a few times in the course of setting jars of dill pickles out to cool. A streak of excitement flowed through me every time!
I waited until the next day to inspect each jar lid to know for sure they were sealed. To my delight all 14 had sealed.
Do you know how to tell if a jar has sealed? Look at the next pictures for examples of sealed jars and jars which have not sealed.
Sealed and Unsealed
Any jars found to have not sealed properly need to be placed in the refrigerator and eaten in the coming weeks. Dill pickles keep for at least 4 weeks under refrigeration. Other canned foods will have different times limits before spoiling.
Other Variations of Dill Pickles
In the second set of 7 pints I canned I added white onion to 5 of the jars and instead of cutting the cucumbers into spears, I sliced them. Searching for a knife to cut them in fancy ripples, I discovered I do not have one.
My two Tokyo Green cucumber plants will be producing cucumbers for weeks to come. I think I will make bread and butter pickles, perhaps relish, and additional dill pickles for they are quite easy to make. Or, I might try adding red bell pepper to add a pretty red color.
What other variations and ideas do you have for preserving cucumbers? I would love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below.
