Dill Pickle Spears

After dropping my husband off at the airport for a business trip to Europe…this time he is headed to Germany and The Netherlands (someday I’ll get to tag along), and with the son at the beach in Wilmington, NC, and the daughter spending the summer in Chapel Hill, NC, I suddenly found myself with a wide open weekend.  Yep, it’s just me and the dog right now.  But don’t feel sorry for me yet, I did manage to squeeze in some lunch and shopping before I headed home.  Pickles is how I decided to spend my afternoon and I made them with the bag of cucumbers a friend gave me from her garden. 

I mentioned in a post about a week ago that I wanted to try a recipe that Country Living Magazine published in their April 2011 issue for Pickle Spears from Judith Fertig’s Heartland book.  Well, here they are.  Love this recipe almost as much as I love my own for Dill Pickle Chips!  :)  These are a lot sweeter.

This recipe makes about 3 jars.   (I doubled the recipe and got  a total of 7 jars.)

Here is the recipe:

Dill Pickle Spears

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 pound pickling or baby cucumbers, ends trimmed and quartered lengthwise (about 4 or 5)

8 garlic cloves

2 teaspoons black peppercorns

2 large see heads fresh dill, with some stalk.  ( I used dried dill.)

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine 1 cup water, vinegar, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil.  Stir until sugar and salt dissolve, about 2 minutes.  Let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. 

Divide cucumber spears, garlic and peppercorns between two sterilized pint size canning jars.  Stuff a dill seed head into the center of each jar.  Pour cooled vinegar mixture over jar contents to cover.  Screw lids onto jars and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before using.  Keeps refrigerated, for up to 1 year. 

This recipe is for another great pickle that does NOT require canning.  They say they will keep up to a year refrigerated.

I don’t think we have to worry here.  They won’t last the month . :)