Pickles, Preserves & Relishes |
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Perfect Dill Pickles Updated - 2026
Recipe courtesy of Grandma Emma Wozny & Ron Wozny
INGREDIENTS
PREPARATION
Pack Jars
Notes
- Cucumbers (small pickling type)
- Dill (per jar)
Fresh dill head OR
1 ½ teaspoons dill seed
2–3 fresh dill sprigs (or 1 tablespoon dried dill weed) - Garlic cloves (1 per jar)
- Sugar (1 teaspoon per jar, sprinkled on top — do not mix into brine)
- 13 cups water
- 1 cup pickling salt
- 6 cups cider vinegar (5% acidity)
PREPARATION
Pack Jars
- Place dill seed + sprigs (or a dill head, if you have one) and 1 garlic clove in each sterilized quart jar.
- Wash cucumbers thoroughly and pack tightly into jars. Cut into quarter spears if they're too big to pack whole.
- Combine water, pickling salt, and vinegar in a large pot.
- Bring to a full rolling boil.
- Pour boiling brine over cucumbers, leaving ½ inch headspace.
- Add 1 teaspoon sugar to the top of each jar.
- Remove air bubbles (use a non-metal spatula or chopstick).
- Adjust headspace if needed.
- Wipe rims clean, apply lids, and screw on bands fingertip-tight.
- Place jars in a boiling-water canner (or large pot with rack).
- Jars must be fully submerged under 1–2 inches of boiling water.
- Once water returns to a boil, process for 15 minutes (quarts).
- Adjust for altitude: add +5 minutes above 1,000 ft, +10 minutes above 6,000 ft.
- Carefully remove jars and set on a towel. Do not tilt or touch lids.
- Let stand undisturbed for 12–24 hours.
- Check seals (lids should be concave and not flex).
- Label and store in a cool, dark place.
Notes
- These pickles are ready to eat in 6 weeks and shelf-stable for up to 1 year.
- If you prefer not to process in boiling water, you can skip that step — but jars must then be refrigerated and eaten within 1–2 months.
- For the most authentic flavor, stick with dill heads if you can find them — but the seed + sprig substitution gets you 95% of the way there.
