Place in the bottom of the jar a layer of dill and one-half ounce of
mixed spice. Then fill the jar, to within 2 or 3 inches of the top, with
washed cucumbers of as nearly the same size as practicable. Add another
half ounce of spice and layer of dill. It is a good plan to place over
the top a layer of grape leaves. In fact, it would be well to place these
at both the bottom and top. They make a very suitable covering and have a
greening effect on the pickles.
Pour over the pickles a brine made as follows: Salt, 1 pound; vinegar,
1 pint ; water, 2 gallons. Never use a hot brine at the beginning of a
fermentation. The chances are that it would kill the organisms present,
thus preventing fermentation.
Cover with a board cover or plate with sufficient weight on top to hold
the cucumbers well below the brine.
If the cucumbers are packed at a temperature around 86° F., an active
fermentation will at once set in. This should be completed in 10 days to
2 weeks, if a temperature of about 86° F. is maintained. The scum which
soon forms on the surface and which consists usually of wild yeasts, but
often contains molds and bacteria, should be skimmed off.
After active fermentation has stopped, it is necessary to protect the
pickles against spoilage. This may be done in one of two ways:
(1) Cover with a layer of paraffin. This should be poured while hot
over the surface of the brine or as much of it as is exposed around the
edges of the board cover. When cooled this forms a solid coating which
effectually seals the pickles.
(2) Seal the pickles in glass jars or cans. As soon as they are
sufficiently cured, which may be determined by their agreeable flavor and
dark-green color, transfer them to glass jars, and fill either with their
own brine or with a fresh brine made as directed. Add a small quantity of
dill and spice. Bring the brine to a boil, and, after cooling to about
160° F., pour it over the pickles, filling the jars full. Seal the jars
tight.
The plan of preserving dill pickles by sealing in jars has the merit of
permitting the use of a small quantity without the necessity of opening
and resealing a large bulk, as is the case when pickles are packed in
large containers and sealed with paraffin.