Best Dill Pickles EVER! (Just like Claussen) (Easy - no canning!)

Do you want to make the best, easiest homemade dill pickles in the world?  

I found a recipe for dill pickles that tastes JUST LIKE Claussen refrigerator pickles.  Those are the best anyway, right?  That crunch, the dill and the garlic... and oh yea , the crunch!  This recipe is super easy because you don't have to process these pickles which means there is no canning needed.  

You just fill a gallon jar (we use an old pickle jar) with fresh cucumbers and dill heads, and then pour over the cooled liquids/seasonings.  Let it sit on the counter for three days, and then refrigerate.  After that, the pickle eating begins.

They are supposed to keep for one year like that in the fridge, without canning.  (We let them sit for the 3 days, then refrigerated them overnight before opening the jar for the much anticipated first taste.

Did they taste like Claussen?  YOU BET YOUR PRETTY PICKLE THEY DID!  We were all SO excited.  You would have thought we struck gold!  I guess we struck GREEN! 

These pickles are SO EASY.  Even if you aren't a canning person, try them.  They are so delicious!

These homemade pickles are definitely the best made AT HOME MY WAY!

Best Dill Pickles EVER (Just like Claussen)

(Easy - No Canning!)

Some commenters thought these were too salty.  I like them that way but feel free to use less salt if you are sensitive to saltiness.  There are lots of comments to this post.  Take them all in and then give these pickles a try AT HOME YOUR WAY.    

Ingredients:

• 1 gallon of cucumbers (do not use the store bought regular cucumbers with the wax on them - use pickling cucumbers or garden fresh cucumbers)


• 1/3 cup dried minced onion (you get in the spice isle) 


• 6 cloves FRESH garlic, peeled, and chopped small (smash it with the handle of a knife, then peel and chop it) (If you aren't familiar with fresh garlic, the cloves all together make up the whole bulb of garlic.  You want 6 cloves, with the dry papery outer coating removed.)


• 1/2 Tablespoon mustard seeds (found in the spice isle)


• 6 heads FRESH dill


• 1 1/2 quarts water (this is equal to 6 cups)


• 2 cups apple cider vinegar


• 1/2 cup canning salt  (do NOT use regular salt - use CANNING SALT which is found with the canning supplies)  (Some folks preferred to use less but do what you think here.)

Directions:

Wash cucumbers and cut off the blossom end first.  Then slice into spears.  Add the dill (heads only - not stems) into the jars first, then put in the sliced/spears/cucumbers until your jar is full. (Some of our dill heads were very large so we counted them as two heads.)

Boil liquids and all seasonings/remaining ingredients (minced onion, chopped garlic, mustard seeds, water, vinegar and canning salt) until the salt dissolves, then let COOL (doesn't have to be completely cold, just cool). Pour the cooked mixture over the pickles/dill in the jar, COVER WITH LID TO THE JAR, and let sit on counter for three days turning them occasionally (we just put a towel over the lid - so as not to leak - and turned the jar upside down and did easy shakes, and returned to upright).  After 3 days on the counter, refrigerate overnight.  Now try one!  Crunch, crunch, crunch!  YUM!


Please do not use regular grocery store cucumbers.  They have wax on them and will not turn out. However, grocery store pickling cucumbers can be used as they are not waxed.

This recipe has been shared at:

• http://lifeasmom.com/


• http://www.everydaytastes.com/2011/07/28/its-a-keeper-thursday-recipe-project-linky-16/


• http://gnowfglins.com/2011/07/28/simple-lives-thursday-54/


• http://www.littlehouseliving.com/2011/08/old-fashioned-recipe-exchange-8-16.html