Pickle Recipes - Quick Dills

4 pounds cucumbers washed and stemmed
1/4 cup black peppercorns
1 garlic bulb
6 small chile peppers (if you like spicy)
6 dill heads with fronds
2 3/4 cups vinegar (cider vinegar preferred)
3 cups water
1/4 cup pickling salt

The peppercorns, peppers, and garlic are all optional but they do make for some tasty pickles.

Put the spices into your jars (6 pints).
Put your cucumbers and dill into the jars.
Put everything else into a non-reactive pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until the salt is dissolved.
Pour the brine over the cucumbers. Leave 1/2 inch headspace.
Close the jar with hot two-piece caps.
Boiling-water bath for 10 minutes (15 minutes if you use quarts).
Store in a cool, dark place for about a month and then enjoy!

Pickle Recipes - Dill Pickles with Mustard

4 Pounds cucumbers
1 Large Onion
1/2 cup chopped horseradish
1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds
4 to 6 dill heads
6 tablespoons pickling salt
2 quarts water

Put the cucumbers, onion, horseradish, mustard seeds and dill in layers in a jar or jars. Dissolve the salt in the water adn pour enough brine over the cucumbers to cover them. Weight the jar with a freezer bag filled with brine.

You'll see bubbles form within 3 days in the jar. If scum forms in the jar skim it off and rinse your freezer bag.

The pickles will be ready in 2 weeks when the bubbling has stopped.

Refrigerate and eat.