Let me start by saying I don’t do a traditional recipe at the bottom of this post (as you can find recipes like that online everywhere). This is more about the process and how I do it with my recipe.
Let’s start with the shopping list:
1/2 cup of sea salt (no iodine)
1 quart of apple cider vinegar
4 cups sugar
2 tsp Pickling spices
12 large cucumbers
3 bell peppers (I prefer yellow and red to add color)
1 sweet onion
This is a two day recipe but it is very easy.
Start by slicing the cucumbers and bell peppers and onions. I like my cucumber slices a bit on the thick side. You can use a knife or a mandolin style slicer.
Place the veggies in a crock, or non reactive container (cooking pot, mixing bowl, etc). As you layer in the veggies sprinkle them with the non iodized salt. If you use salt with iodine this recipe will not turn out well at all! Sea salt is best. It can be course or fine ground. But the trick is making sure it does not have any added iodine. Use enough tap water to cover the veggies and weigh them them down. You can use a dinner plate with something on top as a weight (a can of beans or tuna etc from the pantry works well) if you don’t have a traditional fermenting crock to use.
This is a brining process and you will want the veggies to sit in the salt water overnight. This draws out the excess moisture in the veggies and makes them nice and crisp. Nobody likes a soggy pickle! So this is the part that makes a pickle yummy! I usually do this part in the afternoon and let them sit over night and start part 2 the next morning. Million dollar pickles are sweet and crunchy. But the brine is what makes them crunchy!
Now for part two!
Drain the veggies (no need to rinse just drain). While they are draining bring to boil: vinegar, sugar, pickling spices.
Once you have reached a boil add your veggies and cook for 20 minutes. You will start to see the cucumbers turn from white to an almost translucent color when they are done. Stir occasionally but not enough to make the veggies start to disintegrate. Just enough to make sure everything inside the pot cooks evenly.
While those are cooking take a moment to sterilize your jars and prep your canning area. I use a slotted spoon to fill the jars with veggies first, then a ladle to cover the veggies with juices from the pot. Do not throw out any left over juices after you finish canning your pickles!!!! We will be using that for salad dressing! The best homemade salad dressing ever!
To process the pickles I do a water bath for 5 minutes. They are already nice and hot in the jar as they have just finished cooking so I just want enough heat to make sure the jars all seal. I let the jars sit over night after processing to ensure they all sealed. Any that haven’t sealed go in the fridge for immediate consumption lol! Any that don’t fit into a jar (not enough to fill a full jar) also go into the fridge for “sampling” the next day lol. I honestly think these pickles get better after allowing to sit in the jars a few months, but they are really good right after canning and cooling down too!
Now for that left over pickle juice and the salad dressing recipe. We use this just about every day for dinner salads. It’s best used fresh mixed and doesn’t work as well if you make a huge batch. So this is enough for one salad for a family of 4.
Mix together in a small bowl ( I just use a fork)
1Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp real maple syrup (you can substitute another sweetener but real maple syrup is the best)
3 Tbsp pickle juice
Drizzle over your salad and serve. It’s the best salad dressing I have ever eaten! Not to mention it’s very economical and easy to make!
And last but not least a photo of our finished million dollar pickles! When you finish a jar of pickles be sure to save the juices so you can make more salad dressing!
Conestoga Chuck 