Learn how to make pickles with these recipes from Boxx Berry Farm

BY STEFANIE DONAHUE   –   The Northern Light

If you’re looking for something to do this summer, dust off that old set of mason jars in your garage and start pickling. Here are a few recipes to get you started:

Cucumber Chips

Lasts up to one year in the fridge.

You’ll need one gallon of sliced cucumbers, two thinly sliced onions, four cups of white vinegar, a half cup of salt, four cups of sugar, one and a half teaspoons of turmeric and one and a half teaspoons of mustard seed.

Once you’ve made the brine, simply stir it and pour over the cucumbers. Be sure not to boil the cucumbers or brine for this recipe.

Ella’s Dill Pickles

You’ll need 10 pounds of cucumbers, one quart of white vinegar, two quarts of water and two thirds of a cup of plain salt.

To make, wash each cucumber with a brush and pack into a set of jars with a hefty dose of dill and garlic. In a covered kettle, boil the brine mixture for 15 minutes and then pour it into the jars and seal. The recipe yields about seven quarts.

Sweet Gherkin Pickles

You’ll need one cup of salt, two quarts of water, six pints of cucumbers, one tablespoon of alum, one and a half tablespoons of mixed pickling spices, five cups of sugar and five cups of white vinegar.

Pour boiling salt and water mixture over cucumbers in an enamel or stainless steel container; cover with a plate. Let the combination sit for one week.

Remove scum from the top daily. Drain the brine and thoroughly rinse the cucumbers. Cover them with boiling water and let stand for 24 hours before draining.

Next, place spices wrapped in a cheesecloth bag, sugar and vinegar to a large pot and bring to a boil. Pour the mixture over the cucumbers and let stand for 24 hours.

Drain the syrup in a pot and bring it back to a boil. Pour the mixture over the cucumbers once again. Repeat the process over the next four days.

Pack the pickles in hot jars and be sure to leave about a quarter inch of headspace.

Remove the spice bag and heat the syrup to a boil and pour it over the pickles, leaving a half inch of head space. Process the pints in a 15-minute boiling water bath.

Recipes courtesy of Boxx Berry Farm, located at 6211 Northwest Road in Ferndale, CA.