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Quart jar of shelf-stable dill pickle halves packed with fresh dill, garlic, and bay leaves on a vintage kitchen table.

Dill Pickles

Give these garlic-and-dill cucumber pickles time in their sharp vinegar brine before opening a jar. The long rest builds their clean, tangy bite while an ice-water soak helps keep them firm.

By Betty Lou GardnerAbout 17½ hours or longer, including soaking and coolingUpdated 2026-08-25

These Dill Pickles are packed with cucumber halves, fresh dill, garlic, and bay leaves, then covered with a hot 5%-acidity vinegar brine and processed in a boiling-water canner. A cold ice-water soak helps the cucumbers stay firm while four to five weeks of resting gives the garlic and dill time to develop.

Betty Lou Gardner in a family archival photograph

Granny’s Kitchen Notes

From Betty Lou Gardner

I like making these when the cucumbers are coming in fast because homemade dill pickles never last long around our house. Fresh dill from the garden makes the jars smell better than anything when the hot brine goes over the top.

How to Make Dill Pickles

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Small pickling cucumbers soaking in ice water in a yellow enamel basin beside fresh dill and quart canning jars.
01

Soak the Cucumbers

Trim the blossom ends and soak the cucumbers in ice water for four to five hours to help them stay firm.

Clean quart canning jars heating upright in a rack inside a boiling-water canner, with lids and bands prepared nearby.
02

Prepare the Canner and Jars

Heat clean quart jars in a boiling-water canner while washing the lids and bands and preparing the remaining equipment.

Equal portions of 5%-acidity white vinegar and water boiling with pickling salt in a stainless-steel saucepan.
03

Make the Brine

Boil together equal portions of 5%-acidity vinegar and water with pickling salt until the salt dissolves completely.

Hot quart jars packed with cucumber halves, split garlic cloves, fresh dill heads, dried bay leaves, and optional calcium chloride pickle crisp.
04

Pack the Jars

Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise and pack them into hot jars with garlic, bay leaves, fresh dill, and optional calcium chloride.

Hot vinegar brine being poured into quart jars packed with cucumber halves, fresh dill, garlic, and bay leaves, leaving ½-inch headspace.
05

Fill and Close

Cover the cucumbers with hot brine, maintain ½-inch headspace, remove air bubbles, wipe the rims, and apply the lids and bands fingertip tight.

Closed quart jars of dill pickles processing upright on a rack beneath boiling water, followed by sealed jars cooling undisturbed on a towel.
06

Process and Cool

Process the quart jars for the correct altitude, cool them undisturbed, check the seals, and let the pickles rest before serving.

Quart jar of shelf-stable dill pickle halves packed with fresh dill, garlic, and bay leaves on a vintage kitchen table.

Dill Pickles

Give these garlic-and-dill cucumber pickles time in their sharp vinegar brine before opening a jar. The long rest builds their clean, tangy bite while an ice-water soak helps keep them firm.

By Betty Lou Gardner

Prep45 minCook40 minTotalAbout 17½ hours or longer, including soaking and coolingDifficultyMedium
PrintReview

Ingredients

Scale

Scaling note: Scaling is withheld until recipe-specific quantities, method safety, and instruction synchronization are verified.

Pickles

Brine

Instructions

  1. 4 pounds pickling cucumbers, ice and cold water
  3. 3 cups distilled white vinegar, 3 cups water, ¼ cup canning or pickling salt
  4. 2 garlic cloves, 2 dried bay leaves, 2 fresh dill heads, and optional calcium chloride per quart jar

Nutrition (Approximate Per Serving)

Yield

About 3 to 4 quart jars — Serving size: About 1 pickle half

Calories
10
Carbohydrates
2 g
Protein
0.4 g
Fat
0.1 g
Saturated Fat
0 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
130 mg
Fiber
0.3 g
Total Sugars
0.7 g

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Betty Lou Gardner

Betty Lou Gardner

Betty Lou Gardner’s family recipes are preserved in Granny’s Recipe Box.

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