Make Your Own "Claussen Pickles"

CRUNCH!

CRUNCH!

CRUNCH!

"What's that sound?"  you ask.  It's the sound of pickles being eaten in my house. My family has a fondness for pickles, but not just any pickles.  Nope.  Nice, crispy pickles like Claussen.   But they are pretty expensive.  What's a girl to do for those she loves?  Make her own, of course!  But how?

It's super easy. Yes, it is!  Trust me.  The secret ingredient is....

Now, you can't read it very well but this is Mrs. Wages REFRIGERATOR pickle mix.  Yup, magic in a pouch!  Here are the supplies I gathered for my pickles.

Now, keep in mind that all you actually need is the following:

• Some pickling cucumbers (see note at the end of this post)
• Some 5% acidity white vinegar
• Mrs. Wages refrigerator pickle mix

My additional OPTIONAL additions include:

• Dill seed
• Fresh Garlic
• Serrano Peppers

You will also need some canning jars and you should sterilize them first.  Click here for tips on how to sterilize your jars.

Okay, so here's what I do.  First I slice up some serrano peppers along with my garlic.  Click here to see my tip on how to peel garlic.  Yup, I'm getting you to see an old post!  ;)

In a non-reactive pot (so NO aluminum) place your vinegar, water, and the contents of your pickling packet (look on your pickling packet for quantities of water and vinegar).  Heat until it boils to make sure all the ingredients dissolve completely.

While you are waiting for your brine to heat up, pack your sterilized jars very tightly with your pickles (I like mine sliced but you can make spears or leave your cucumbers whole  but be sure to remove the blossom end)

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Now pour in your brine. See the granules on top?  That is the garlic that was included in the Mrs. Wages refrigerator packet.

Now just close your jar with your sterilized lid.  When the jar cools down, place in the refrigerator.  After 24 hours, your pickles are ready to enjoy.  Yup.  That's it!  Easy Peasy!

Now, as you all know, my family LOVES garlic.  So, what I do is add some extra goodies in the bottom of my jars before I pack them with the cucumber slices.  I usually add 1-2 cloves fresh garlic sliced along with 1 tsp dill seed.  It just kicks up the flavor a bit.

I decided to make a few "zesty" pickles so as you can see, I added some dill seed, garlic and sliced seranno peppers in the jar.

This here is a jar of some dried chipotle peppers.  I decided to try adding one to a couple of jars.  I wonder how it will turn out.  I'll update you!

A couple of quick notes about your cucumbers.

• You can use regular cucumbers if you don't have pickling cucumbers. However, keep in mind that the seeds in regular cucumbers are larger so it is best to use pickling cucumbers if possible.
• Make sure you use fresh picked cucumbers when making pickles.  I purchased mine from a local family farm and pickled them the same day I purchased them.

4 You