Old Fashion Dill Pickles

Cucumbers are growing in our garden and it is time to make some pickles.  This year I am making pickles the old fashion way, using a brine and no vinegar.

First I collected my fresh cucumbers, dill, and grape leaves from our garden.
 
Then I mixed one gallon of warm water with 3/8 cup of pickling salt.  It is important to use pickling salt for two reasons.  First and most important it does not contain iodine, and second the salt is very fine and mixes well with the warm water.

Next I washed my jars and gathered the rest of my supplies and ingredients.

Here is a list of ingredients and supplies you will need

Fresh Cucumbers
Fresh dill
Fresh grape leaves
Gallon of water mixed with 3/8 cup pickling salt (this is the brine)
For a gallon jar I used the following:
        4 cloves of garlic -peeled and smashed
        1 tablespoon of whole peppercorns
        3 bay leaves
        2 tablespoons of dried dill weed

Large glass jar (wide mouth jars work best)
1 Ziploc bag quart size
a container big enough for the jar to sit in

In the bottom of my glass jar I put in grape leaves, the garlic cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves, and the dried dill weed.

Next I placed the fresh dill and cucumbers in the jar.  Making sure the water was cool I added the brine to the jar until it covered the cucumber.  Next I set the jar in a bowl and placed a Ziploc bag filled with the brine water on top to hold down the cucumbers.  Fill the Ziploc bag with the brine in case the bag leaks.

As the cucumbers ferment the brine will over flow from the jar so it is important to put the jar in a container to catch the overflow.

Fermentation will take several days to begin.  The brine will start to bubble and this will be the sign that fermentation has started. After a week of fermination you can start tasting the pickles and when they have the perfect taste for you then place the lid on the jar and place in the fridge.  Pickles will last six months or longer in the fridge.  Of course I do no think they will last that long at my house.  We all love dill pickles.