2 fresh grape leaves per quart jar
2 large or 4 small sprigs fresh dill per quart jar
About 3.5 pounds small unwaxed cukes 1 inch or less in diameter and about 3 inches long
2 to 4 peeled cloves of garlic per quart jar
1 (1-inch) dried chili pepper per quart jar (optional but recommended!)
1 teaspoon mixed pickling spice per quart jar
Pinch of alum per quart jar (like I said, it's an old recipe, and this can be omitted)
7 cups water
1/3 cup coarse (kosher) salt or 1/4 cup pickling salt
1/2 cup cider vinegar
Wash and dry grape leaves and dill. Scrub cukes under cool, running water and trim away bad spots. Place garlic, spices, and alum nearby, and place the water, salt, and vinegar in a 2.5 quart saucepan to heat while you pack the pickles. Stir the brine occasionaly until the salt dissolves.
In each hot, sterilized wide mouth quart jar, pack 1 grape leav, 1 or 2 sprgs of dill, a vertical layer of cukes, 1 or 2 garlic cloves, a second lavyer of cukes, another garlic clove or 2, 1 or 2 dill sprigs. 1 teaspoon of pickling spice (and the chili pepper if desired), a pinch of alum (if used), and another grape leaf.
When all the jars are full, bring the brine to a boil, and pour it boiling hot, over the cukes to fill jars almost to overlowing. Clean rims and threads and seal. Makes abouth 3 quarts, but the brine is enough for about 4 quarts. Pourposely. When the pickles have stopped fermenting, you'll need extra brine to make up for lost during fermentation. If the solids are exposed to air, the pickles will mold and spoil.
IMPORTANT!!!!!
Sometimes the lids will seal, forming a vacuum as they should for most pickle products. They should not remain sealed for this type of pickle, which needs air during fermentation. So check the jars after they are cool, and release any lids that have sealed. Store the jars in a shallow pan or dish to catch overflowing brine. When the cukes are a uniform olive green color and the bubbling has stopped, remove the lids and clean them and the jar threads and rims. Add more brine to cover solids completely and reseal. Chill before serving.
This recipe is from 'The Pleasures of Presrving and Pickling' by Jeanne Lesem, and was published in 1975. It was her mother's recipe, and most likely her mother's mother's recipe. It is not a simple one, but undoubtedly will produce excellently firm pickles due to its lack of processing or boiling the cukes. I just got this book this year from my girlfriend's mother, but will be trying this recipe shortly since my neighbor has grapes growing in her yard. Easy access to grape leaves is not something we all have, so this recipe might not work for everyone....
lol)... and grape leaves and calcium chloride for crrrrunch!
