Grandpa always had a huge garden with everything from Asparagus to Zucchini. He always had more than enough pickles and I loved going into that garden and picking those tiny little cucumbers with the prickly outsides and just brushing off the dirt and eating them right there in the hot sun.
Whether it was at grandma’s and grandpa’s or at home there was always plate of sliced cukes sitting on the counter, although they didn’t sit there too long. Every time somebody went into the kitchen, you’d grab one, sprinkle a little salt on it and keep going to where ever you were headed.
We would have them in salad, creamed with dill ( one of my favorites with pork chops ), thinly sliced in an oil and vinegar dressing with onions and dill, and of course GRANDPA’S 24 HR DILL PICKLES. There was always, always a jar on the counter curing and at least one or two in the fridge ready to eat.
These pickles are so easy to make and you can add anything to the brine you want, put in some onion and garlic, add some chili peppers, or even use the brine to pickle carrots, beans, asparagus or cauliflower.
Remember that once you cure them for 24 hours, you need to refrigerate them to keep them crisp.
GRANDPA’S 24 HR DILL PICKLES
Cucumbers, enough sliced to fill jar
Fresh Dill heads, enough to pack into jar
Onion, garlic or chili peppers ( optional )
Brine for a 2 quart jar:
1 cup vinegar
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup sugar
Warm water to fill jar.
Place 1-2 dill heads in bottom of jar.
Slice cucumbers and pack into jar. Add onions, garlic and/or peppers if using.
Pack in additional dill heads.
In another container, mix salt, sugar and vinegar until dissolved. Make sure it is dissolved well.
Pour into jar with cucumbers and fill with warm water.
Cover tightly and shake well.
Turn jar upside down and let start to cure. Every once in a while give the jar a shake and turn. After the 24 hour cure, place in fridge and enjoy.
Go Ahead… “Just Try It!”
