This one is for all you Wednesday night Bible study ladies, because my homemade hamburger dills actually taste like pickles and I promised to post the recipe here at Small Talk Mama. Yes, my husband and I actually got the first taste of our maiden pickling project and we both gave it a thumbs up. I don’t know why we’re always so surprised, when we try a new recipe or grow a new vegetable, to find that it tastes exactly as it should. I remember our first harvest of broccoli years ago — it actually tasted exactly like broccoli. Imagine that! That being said, we haven’t yet opened the dill spears, but I’ll keep you posted — the suspense is just killing you, I know.
So here’s the recipe we used for hamburger dills, which were a great addition to our grilled burgers. Unlike most recipes of its kind, this one does not require a several-day soaking before the canning process. So if you’re “in a pickle” and can’t wait days to can, you might want to try this quick and easy recipe.
Recipe adapted from Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving
- 4 lbs cucumbers
- 6 tbsp canning salt
- 4 1/2 c water
- 4 c vinegar
- 14 heads fresh dill
- 3 1/2 tsp mustard seed
- 14 peppercorns
- Wash cucumbers and drain. Cut cucumbers into 1/4-inch crosswise slices, discarding blossom ends.
- Pack cucumbers into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.
- Add 2 heads of dill, 1/2 tsp mustard seed and 2 peppercorns to each jar.
- Combine salt, water and vinegar in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil.
- Ladle hot liquid over cucumbers, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.
- Lightly tap jars to remove air bubbles, and screw on two-piece caps.
- Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water bath.
- This recipe makes delicious husband-pleasing hamburger dill pickles!