This is a bit of an experiment. I’m attempting to use some of the pickling lime I ordered to make a different kind of pickle. Searching online for lime pickles shows an almost exclusive selection of bread-and-butter-style pickles, so using lime with a dill recipe seems to go against the grain of the pickle community.

Still, I like the crunch that I got with the Back House (Lime) Pickles I made last month, so I wanted to give this a shot. I’ll have to revisit this post in another six weeks or so when these have had time to cure, so I can say whether they’re a success.

For the recipe, I sampled from this one as well as a few others.

Note: This is a two-day process, so prepare accordingly.

6.5-7 lbs pickling cucumbers
8 oz. pickling lime
14 garlic cloves, halved (I used 10 for 6.5 lbs., but more is better)
7 cups white vinegar
2 gallons + 7 cups water
7 tbsp. kosher salt or pickling salt
7 tbsp. dill seeds
~42 black peppercorns

Day 1: Lime
7 lbs. medium-sized pickling cucumbers
2 cups pickling/slack lime (about 8-oz.)
2 gallons water

Wash and slice the cucumbers into spears or 1/4-inch round slices.

In a very large container (granite, crockery, or stainless), place the sliced cucumbers. In a separate large container (I used a smaller stock pot), mix together the lime and water. Be careful, as the lime can be caustic and the dust will fly up. (If it does weird things to cucumbers, it can probably do weird things to you, too.)

Pour the lime mixture over the pickles. Place something to weigh down the pickles so both pickles and liquid are covered. If you’re using a stock pot, a slightly smaller lid will do. Otherwise, try a plate and place a rock on top of the plate. (There is a photo here if you’re curious about this process.)

Let stand 24 hours, stirring occasionally as the lime settles.

Day 2: Pickling
Drain the pickles and rinse the holy hell out of them (at least 3-4 rinses). You want to make sure that there is no lime still on any of them, as this can interfere with safe canning practices.

Boil water in a large stock pot and add quart-sized canning jars and lids, as well as any funnel or other tools that will touch food in the jars. Boil for a few minutes to sanitize them, then remove. Keep the water hot.

In a separate pot, add the 7 cups of vinegar and 7 cups of water and bring to a boil.

For each quart-sized jar, add 1 tbsp. salt, 1 tbsp. dill seeds, 6 peppercorns, and 2 garlic cloves (4 halves). Fill with cucumbers, then top with the hot vinegar/water brine up to 1/4 inch from the top.

Carefully wipe the tops of the jars to dry them before adding the lids. Screw the lids on most of the way, but leave slightly ajar. You’ll need a little “give” for the air to escape.

Carefully place the filled jars back in the hot water and add more water if necessary — you’ll want at least an inch or two of water on top of each jar.

Get the water to 180-185F and simmer at that temperature for 30 minutes.

Remove the jars and let cool.

Check the lids: if they are tight when you press your finger into the center, they have successfully sealed and you can store them at room temperature, preferably in a cool, dark place. If they wobble a bit, they haven’t sealed completely. Some jars take longer than others, so give them up to 24 hours.

If they’re still wobbly in the center by the next day, keep them in the fridge.

Let them pickle for about six weeks before eating for the flavors to develop.