Homemade Crock Pickles

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I would like to apologize for my absence. I was very busy with work last week. I hope your week has started off on the right note.

The smells and tastes of today's homemade recipe remind me of sweet summertime, just as much as squash does. I recently showed you how to make homemade dill pickles. Today, I will show you a much simpler and faster process that will  lead to homemade crock pickles. They are the perfect addition to any summer soiree, and they make wonderful gifts.  

For this recipe, you will need: water (I used 6 cups of water), pickling/canning salt (I used 1/4 cup of salt), white distilled vinegar (I used 1/2 cup of vinegar), recycled mason jars (I used 2 mason jar quarts), dill (I used 2 sprigs), onions, garlic clove (I used 1 garlic clove), cucumbers, and grape leaves (this ingredient is optional).  

Like many hand-me-down recipes, the measurements are not exact. So please feel free to experiment with your ingredients to get the desired taste that you want. 

After you sterilize your jars and clean your vegetables thoroughly, you will need to prepare your cucumbers. Start by cutting the ends off of each cucumber so that your mixture can disperse evenly into the cucumber. Since I used larger cucumbers, I cut mine into spears. 

Next, you will peel the skin off of garlic, and cut the onions up.

From here, you will place the jar on its side, so that you can stack the cucumbers into the jar tightly. Then you will top your jar off with garlic, onions, and dill. 

In a separate bowl you will add your water, salt, and vinegar together. For two quarts of pickles, I used 6 cups of water, 1/4 cup of pickling/canning salt, and 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar. I had plenty of mixture left over.  

Once all ingredients are added to a large bowl, you can start to stir the mixture with a fork. Continue to stir until the salt has dissolved.

Now you will pour the water, salt, and white distilled vinegar mixture into the quarts and over the cucumbers. 

Then cover your filled jars with cotton towels, and set aside at room temperature for about 3 days. 

After the third day, you can test your pickles. If they are the desired texture and taste, then label them and place them in the refrigerator. These pickles can last for several months in the refrigerator, but I guarantee you that they won't last that long. :)

I hope you have enjoyed this simple, yet very delicious pickle recipe. Have you ever made crock pickles? If yes, was your process the same or different from mine?