Pickle-pleasing recipe passed down through generations

My mother was a beautiful, kind, and hard-working farm woman. Although she has passed, all 13 of her children—as well as her grandchildren and great grandchildren—have carried on her legacy with her crock pickle recipe.

The pickles are crunchy and very delicious. I would be happy to see others enjoying my mother's crock pickles, too!

Gloria Hahn, West Bend, WI.

Crock Pickles

From the recipe collection of Eva Fechter

50 3 to 6-inch pickling cucumbers (amount needed will vary depending on size of pickles)

BRINE

1/4 c. coarse canning salt

1 c. white Heinz vinegar

4 c. cold tap water

1 entire bulb of garlic, cut up in larger pieces (optional)

fresh dill (enough to put in between layers and on top of pickles)

Wash whole pickles and pierce each pickle twice with a dinner fork. Layer pickles inside of crock, adding dill and cut up garlic (if desired) between each layer. Mix together vinegar and water, adding salt and stirring until salt is dissolved. Pour brine over pickles until completely covered.

Place a plate over the top of pickles and place a quart canning jar filled with water (to be used as a weight) and place on top of plate. Cover crock with a dish towel to keep pickles dark. Keep in a dark, cool place.

After three weeks, check for fermentation scum on top of pickles. Skim off. You can start eating them at this point, but for optimum taste, wait until five weeks for best flavor.

After five weeks, put pickles into canning jars, filled with half brine and half water adn keep in a cool place. Shake jars up now then for better keeping. Pickles can be kept in jars up to six months.

Tips: The amount of brine you need depends on how many pickles you put up. This recipe is for the amount of pickles that fits into a 2 gallon crock. For a larger crock, you can double or triple this brine recipe. Be sure to cover pickles entirely with brine.