MARY STADNYK'S DILL PICKLES

Sept 16, 1973:  Mom wrote:

I been very busy all week and don’t see no let down for a while.   Last week I canned and made jam of a pail of currants and made bread & butter pickles and picked and made jam of strawberries.   That will be the last of them.   The frost killed most of it.

 I canned two boxes plums and carried 20 big pumpkins.  I sure had a lot, sold some and gave away a lot  and gave a lot of cucumbers too.  I have started some sweet pickles as they got to soak a week so by the end of the week will have to cut them up and pickle them.  I hope I can get my big wash done tomorrow or Tues.   I have to can tomatoes this week.

Dad dug some potatoes yesterday.   He said he will do the rest Monday but if Matt combines wheat he will have to help him with hauling grain and I will have to do the digging.  I hope not but if it’s going to freeze every night like been it’s been doing I will have no choice.

MARY STADNYK’S DILL PICKLES

1.  Soak small cucumbers in cold water overnight.   (Do not scrub on the sides or they will get soft.)
2. Prepare brine:

-          1 cup coarse pickling salt

-          2  cups hot water to dissolve salt

-          18 cups cold water

-          1 cup vinegar

3.  Fill the sterilized jars:

-          Put some dill (not too much) in the bottom of a jar.

-          Put in a teaspoon of pickling spice.

-          Put in a clove of garlic.

-          Fill jar with clean cucumbers.  Do not cut them.

-          Put some more dill on top, 2 more cloves of garlic, another teaspoon of pickling spice, and one small dried red pepper.   (You can use 2 red peppers if you like more heat.)

-          Fill jar with cold brine.  (Don’t overfill the jars.)

-          Seal.

4. Set aside for 6 weeks at least.

Mary's daughter-in-law, Aline, carries on the tradition.   August, 2012.