Homemade Crock Pickles Food

DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• Combine the salt and water in a pitcher and stir until the salt has dissolved.
• Rinse the cucumbers thoroughly and snip off the blossom end stem. Set aside.
• Place the peppercorns, pepper flakes, garlic, dill seed and fresh dill into a 1-gallon crock. Add the cucumbers to the crock on top of the aromatics. Pour the brine mixture over the cucumbers in order to completely cover. Pour the remaining water into a 1-gallon ziptop plastic bag and seal. Place the bag on top of the pickles making sure that all of them are completely submerged in the brine. Set in a cool, dry place.
• Check the crock after 3 days. Fermentation has begun if you see bubbles rising to the top of the crock. After this, check the crock daily and skim off any scum that forms. If scum forms on the plastic bag, rinse it off and return to the top of the crock.
• The fermentation is complete when the pickles taste sour and the bubbles have stopped rising; this should take approximately 6 to 7 days. Once this happens, cover the crock loosely and place in the refrigerator for 3 days, skimming daily or as needed. Store for up to 2 months in the refrigerator, skimming as needed. If the pickles should become soft or begin to take on an off odor, this is a sign of spoilage and they should be discarded.

HOMEMADE DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• Place water, salt, and garlic into a large saucepan. Add cloves, bay leaves, coriander seeds, and black peppercorns. Stir until salt is dissolved. Heat over low for just a few minutes to bring water to room temperature. The water should not be warm.
• Place some dill flowers in the bottom of a jar or crock large enough to hold the cucumbers, spices, and some brine. Place a few of the cucumbers on top of the dill weed. Alternate layers of dill flowers and cucumbers, ending with a layer of dill. Pour pickling brine into the crock. Gently tap or shake the crock to eliminate any air bubbles. Weigh down the pickles with a small ramekin to ensure they stay below the surface of the brining liquid. Top with more brine. Reserve any extra brine to add if necessary during the fermentation process. Cover crock.
• Place crock where it can ferment at a temperature between 65 and 75 degrees F. Let pickles ferment for a week, checking every day to ensure pickles remain submerged. Small bubbles may appear; this is a normal product of the fermentation process. Add more brine if necessary.
• After about 8 days, you can skim off the foam. Test a pickle for flavor and crunch. You can continue fermenting them for a couple more days or, if you like them at this point, transfer pickles to a large jar. Fill jar with the brine from the fermentation process. Cover and store finished pickles in the refrigerator.

OLD FASHIONED CROCK PICKLES

Steps:

• Scrub the cucumbers and pack into a crock or 5 gallon pail. Add the dill and basil blossoms, dill seed, fresh garlic, and bay leaves. In a saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the salt in the water and vinegar. Pour over the cucumbers, making sure that they are completely covered.
• Refrigerate for about 1 month, and then taste one for flavor. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. These pickles keep extremely well, for a year or longer.

EIGHT-DAY ICICLE PICKLES

Steps:

• Day 1: Place the cucumbers into a large (10-quart) jar or pickle crock. Stir the pickling salt and 16 cups of water (or as needed to cover the cucumbers) into a large pot, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Pour the boiling salt mixture over the cucumbers, and cover the crock with a cover or dinner plate.
• Days 2 and 3: Stir the pickles and brine once each day. Cover the crock each time.
• Day 4: Pour off the brine. Bring 16 more cups of water to a boil, and pour the boiling water over the pickles. Cover.
• Day 5: Pour off the water from the pickles again, and bring alum and 16 cups of water to a boil. Stir until the alum is completely dissolved. Pour the boiling water-alum mixture over the pickles. Cover.
• Day 6: In a large pot, boil 16 more cups of water with the sugar, pickling spice, vinegar, and food coloring. Pour the water-alum mixture from the pickles and discard, and pour the boiling sugar mixture over the pickles. Cover.
• Day 7: Pour off the syrup from the pickles, but retain the syrup. Transfer the syrup into a large pot, bring to a boil again, and pour over the pickles. Cover.
• Day 8: Pour off and retain the syrup again, and transfer into a large pot. Reboil the syrup over medium heat. Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack the pickles into the hot, sterilized jars, and pour the boiling syrup in, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 15 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area.

BARREL FERMENTED PICKLES

Steps:

• Pick through the cucumbers and remove any that are moldy, squishy, or damaged. Only the best can make it into the crock, man. You can gently rinse them in water, if you need to remove dirt or debris.
• Fill the crock half full of cucumbers before laying in a few sprigs of fresh dill, a clove of garlic, a chunk of onion, a pinch of peppercorns, and a few grape leaves. Stop it. I can hear you complaining. Yes, I realize this is vague - but that's okay. They're your pickles and you can spice them with whatever you like! I haven't noticed a bit enough difference between using different measurements of spices to waste the time being precise about it all.
• Fill a quart jar with filtered water and 1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt. Stir to dissolve the salt and pour this over the cucumbers. Continue to fill the quart jar with this same water and salt mixture, pouring it over the cucumbers each time, until the crock is full and the cucumbers can be completely submerged in the liquid.
• Place a crock weight (or plate if you don't have one) over the top of the pickles so that they remain completely submerged during the course of their fermentation. You can also layer on some grape leaves to help protect the cucumbers from oxygen as well.

POLISH DILL PICKLES MADE IN A CROCK

Steps:

• Place ingredients in bottom of crock with cucumbers.
• Pour mixture (water, vinegar, salt) over cucumbers.
• Throw in a few more pieces of dill.
• Submerge pickles under water by placing a plate on top weighed down by a jar of water.
• When a film appears, just skim it off.
• Try tasting smaller pickles after 5 days.

CROCK POT GARLIC DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• Rinse and dry cucumbers.
• Slice ends off, then half lengthwise.
• Combine all ingredients except cucumbers in crockpot.
• Stir to dissolve salt.
• Add cucumbers and weigh them down with a couple of salad plates so that all pickles are submerged.
• Put on lid.
• DO NOT TURN ON THE CROCKPOT!
• Allow to sit for six days.
• Put pickles into clean mason jars along with brine and refrigerate.
• If you want to make whole pickles, cut off the blossom ends and soak for 11 days.

GRANDMA NOWISKI'S CROCK PICKLES

Steps:

• 1. bring to boil, water, vinegar, salt,and alum. boil for about 2 minutes or until dissolved.
• 2. put 1/3 of dill in bottom of crock. add half of garlic, then add half of pickles. repeat once more ending with dill.
• 3. pour brine over pickles. if the brine does not cover the pickles make another batch, then pour over pickles to cover.
• 4. put a large plate over pickles making sure pikles are covered inbrine. put a heavy weight on plate to help hold it down. ( could use a clean rock or i use a couple of jars filled with water). cover crock with towel. check every couple of days and skim off foam. clean outside of jars and plate. return to crock.
• 5. option: you can put dill in the bottom of canning jars wth a garlic clove cut in half. add pickles then cover with brine. can in hot water bath.