Hot Dill Pickles

From Google, dill is an aromatic annual herb of the parsley family, with fine blue-green leaves and yellow flowers. The leaves and seeds of dill are used for flavoring and for medicinal purposes. The word dill comes from the Norwegian word “dilla” meaning to soothe.  Dill pickles is one of the favored pickles of sporting events. In many places the dill juice is frozen in Popsicle form and sold at school concessions.

In pickling do not use iodized salt as it may darken pickles. Hollow pickles may result from poorly developed cucumbers, holding cucumbers too long before pickling or the brine solution being too strong or too weak.

This recipe was a special request and  adapted from Southern Sideboards 1978.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds cucumbers (4 to 5 inches long)
• 8 tablespoon dill seed
• 4 teaspoon caraway seed
• 2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
• 2 quarts water
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup pickling salt, coarse or kosher
• 1/4 teaspoon alum

Directions