Grandma LeGrande's Dill Pickles

Grandma LeGrande's Dill Pickles

1 Cup White Vinegar (5% acidity)

3 Cups Water*

1/4 Cup (scant) pickling salt

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp alum (optional)

2-3 heads dill per jar

** Boil vinegar, water, salt & garlic for a short time.  Pour over cucumbers, dill and and alum in hot jar. Let jars stand in hot water about 20 mins till green disappears.  Leave upstairs for yellowish green, about 4-5 days --> unless you put them in hot water.  Then can take to cellar.  Ready to eat in 3 weeks.  Hot water to neck of jar.

* - Grandma used well water, which was completely untreated water.  You cannot use water from your tap with chlorine and fluoride - it will make the pickles mushy.  Use purified water, or well water if you can find it.

** - These are the ingredients and instructions exactly as written.  The arrow goes to text that sits a line or two below the paragraph - I stuck it in there to make it easier to read.  I presume you want to start this recipe by boiling some quart jars to get them heated.  Fish them out of the hot water, but keep the water.  As quickly as possible, pack each jar with pickles, dill and alum (I would use the alum), leaving about one to 1 1/2 inches of space between the cucumbers and the top of the jar.  Pour the hot brine over this as quickly as possible, and if at all possible try to get some garlic in each jar.  Seal each jar firmly, then place the whole thing back in the water.  I would leave them in for about 20 minutes, then remove them from the water and let cool.