Recipe(tried): Old fashion Crock Dill Pickles

Old fashion Crock Dill Pickles

2 handfuls grape leaves or sour cherry leaves
12 pounds 3- to 5-inch pickling cucumbers
2 tablespoons mixed pickling spice
1 garlic bulb, cloves separated and peeled
4 to 8 dill heads
6 quarts water
1 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups pickling salt

Line the bottom of a 3-gallon crock with half the leaves. Gently wash the cucumbers, and remove the blossom ends. Layer the cucumbers, spice, garlic cloves and dill heads in the crock. Combine the water and vinegar, and dissolve the salt in the liquid. Pour the brine over the cucumbers to cover and lay the remaining leaves on top. Keep the leaves and cucumbers submerged by weighting them down with a large freezer bag filled with additional brine and sealed. Cover the crock with a pillowcase or towel, and store the crock at room temperature.

Within 3 days you should see tiny bubbles in the brine. This means that fermentation has begun. If a white scum forms on top of the brine, skim it off daily, and rinse off the brine bag.

Pickles should be ready in 2 to 3 weeks, when the tiny bubbles stop rising and the pickles are sour and olive-green throughout. Skim off any scum.

Pour the pickles and brine into a colander set on top of a large nonaluminum pot. Discard the leaves and spices. Remove the colander from the pot, and transfer the pot to the stovetop. Bring the brine to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer the brine 5 minutes. Skim off the scum that forms. Rinse the pickles with cold water, and drain them well.

For refrigerator storage: let the brine cool to room temperature. Pack the pickles into 2-quart jars or gallon jars. If you like, add fresh dill and garlic. Pour enough cooled brine over the pickles to cover them. Cap the jar(s), and store in the refrigerator for as long as 6 months.