It’s been almost two months since I shared my first attempt at making dill pickles.
Well, I’ve been making a batch of pickles weekly since then!
Not only can I say I’ve been eating a lot of pickles, but I am here to offer an update on the recipe I used and some tips and tricks for making your own dill pickles.
Homemade dill pickle recipe
For my first pickling attempt, I used a recipe from Love & Lemons.
You may recall that after that first try, I said the pickles were a touch too sweet. Well… I realized I didn’t put the salt in my brine!
So, I’m here to officially say that the Love & Lemons recipe is a great place to start and then adjust according to taste.
I use a few extra garlic cloves and about 3x the amount of peppercorns, but that’s because I love pepper 🙂 I use coconut sugar simply because that’s what I like to use generally, and I always have it at home.
Other than that, the recipe is great!
Tips for homemade dill pickles
Now that I’ve made so many dill pickles, here’s a few tips and things to consider:
- Try various seasonings. You can add other seasonings to your base brine, depending on what you like. I’ve added fennel seed (which came through very strong) and hatch chile seeds.
- Try other veggies. I started adding carrots and jalapenos to my jars. The carrots sweeten the brine, but I haven’t noticed much difference from the jalapenos. I like using carrots and jalapenos in homemade sushi (an entirely separate post is coming on this). You could add bell peppers, cabbage, onions, you name it!
- Use jars with snug lids. If you like your pickles crispy and crunchy, limit the air that gets inside the jar. I use old jelly and sauce jars with tight lids to keep everything fresh and crisp.
- Reuse your brine. This may be controversial, but I’ve been reusing my brine for 3-4 batches before making new. Ingredients can get expensive, and the brine is a good base! I refresh my dill and garlic for each batch and go about every other bath to replace other seasonings. When the brine starts getting cloudy, make a fresh batch.
- Try different cuts. I use mini cucumbers and cut some in half longways, but I also make a jar of thick chips. The chips are often crunchier than the halves and are perfect for snacking. I like putting the halves on a plate with whatever I eat for lunch or dinner.
- Share ’em! Pickling is so easy, but people are impressed by it. Gift a jar the next time to visit a friend or serve some homemade pickles at your next neighborhood picnic and win the crowd over.
I hope the recipe and tips help if you want to make pickles! It’s really so easy, and it’s a fun way to experiment with flavors.
If you make pickles, I’d love to hear what recipe you use and what veggies are in your jars.
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