Reduced Salt Dill Pickle Recipe for Canning: A Favorite For Summer!
Summer and canning - Two of my favorite things!
When summer arrives, I am so excited for the canning season to begin. With all the fresh produce bursting in the garden, canning options are endless!
Spending summer in the garden with Ava, harvesting vegetables and fruit to can, is something I treasure a lot. And serving my canned goods at summer gatherings, outdoor picnics, and evening dinners is priceless.
There's nothing quite like biting into a crisp, delicious, dill pickle! Or enjoying homemade strawberry butter on a fresh English muffin. Not even to talk about my special Grandma's chili sauce served with a charcuterie board.
All these summer food indulgences make my heart happy!
Down below is my favorite reduced salt dill pickle recipe for canning, the best cucumbers to use for pickling, and a round-up of my other favorite summer canning recipes. Take a look; you’ll love them all!
This post is sponsored by the makers of Ball® home canning products.*
Reduced Salt Dill Pickle canning recipe
Cucumbers are usually abundant here in the summer. This low-sodium dill pickle canning recipe is the perfect way to preserve and enjoy them all year!
I love this recipe because there's not as much salt as in traditional recipes, and the delicious flavor comes from the fresh dill itself!
Preserving method: Water bath canning
Makes: About 6 (16 oz) pints
You will need:
4 lbs pickling cucumbers (about 16 small to medium)
3 cups sugar
2 Tbsp salt
6 cups vinegar
2 Tbsp Ball® Mixed Pickling Spice
Green or dry dill (1 head per jar)
6 Ball® (16 oz) pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands. You can use the wide-mouth jars I used for this recipe HERE.
Optional: Ball® freshTECH Electric Water Bath Canner + Multicooker
Directions:
Prepare a boiling water canner. Heat the jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Wash lids in warm, soapy water and set bands aside.
Wash the cucumbers and drain. Cut cucumbers into 1/4-inch-thick slices, discarding the ends.
Combine sugar, salt, and vinegar in a large saucepan. Tie spices in a spice bag and add them to the vinegar mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Keep hot until ready for use. Remove the spice bag.
Pack cucumbers into hot jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Place one head of dill in each jar.
Ladle hot liquid over cucumbers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace, and remove air bubbles. Wipe the rim and center the hot lid on the jar. Apply the band and adjust until the fit is fingertip tight and place back into the canner. Do steps 4 and 5, one jar at a time. Do not assembly line.
Turn the heat up and process the filled jars in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. When the time is up, turn of the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes.
Remove the jars, place them on a wooden board or cloth, and let them cool for 12-24 hours. Do not tamper with the lids in any way.
Check if it has been sealed after 24 hours. Lids should not flex up and down when the center is pressed.
Always keep in mind that you might need to increase processing time based on altitude.
Not ready to try canning yet? Then try these Refrigerator Pickles!
But, I do want to encourage you to try canning, friend. Once you learn all the basics and simply follow the exact steps, canning becomes a breeze and so fun!
To help you discover this age-old tradition, I have created a CANNING COURSE in collaboration with Ball® Canning
Cucumber Varieties that work best for pickling
Technically all varieties of cucumbers can be used for salads, pickling, or eaten fresh. But certain cucumber varieties have been bred specifically for pickling to have an end-product that's more crisp, firm, and flavorsome.
Boston Pickling
My favorite kind. They are sweet, tender, crisp, and seedless. It's believed that they were first bred in Boston, hence the name, in the 1800s. The Boston cucumber produces large quantities of 3 to 4 inches cukes on long vines. They mature quickly and are ready to be picked within 50 - 55 days.
The Bush Pickle
Ideal for a small garden or containers. They have a bushy growth habit and produce many light green, 3 to 5-inch fruits with sweet, smooth skin. Ready to be harvested in 50 - 55 days.
National pickling
A great all-rounder for slicing and pickling. You can pick them early for gherkins or let them grow up to 5 inches for making spears or slicing cucumbers. They have thick dark green skin with a good crunch. However, they need plenty of space to grow as they produce a heavy yield and take up to 65 days to mature.
Some other varieties you can choose
Adam Gherkin, Calypso, Eureka, Jackson, Salt&Pepper (white variety), Pick-a-Bushel, and many more! Find out from your local garden center which type will work best for your growing conditions and needs.
Learn more HERE about dill pickles and how to grow cucumbers.
More Favorite Summer Canning Recipes.
All are Ball® recipes, and use Balljars!
Basil garlic tomato sauce
Canning does not have to be complicated. Over the years, I've found that one of the best ways to do it is to simply follow the steps every time I can.
In this post, I show you the exact 10 steps for canning with a delicious basil garlic tomato sauce recipe, perfect for someone just starting to learn. It's simple and yummy, and I hope it will inspire you to can over and over again.
Get the recipe here:
Delicious strawberry honey butter
Nothing tastes better than some delightful strawberry butter sweetened with honey on a warm English muffin for breakfast!
This strawberry butter is a fun twist on the classic and is the perfect spring and summer spread. It also contains much less sugar than strawberry jam and is made without dairy. It is actually not butter, but it just has a creamy texture like butter! Trust me, you'll find it quite delicious.
Get the recipe HERE
This juicy, sugar-free strawberry jam canning recipe is also a winner!
Grandma's chili sauce
When my Aunt Marty came to visit a few years ago, she gave me a 101 on canning. It was a proud moment where I felt like a real grown-up, with my own garden and now canning food.
She left me her notes and instructions written on a Ball®Canning blue book page from many years ago. She helped me make this delicious traditional chili sauce, just like Grandma’s! It is the perfect topping for any recipe and a great way to preserve all your garden-fresh tomatoes.
Get the recipe HERE
Roasted salsa verde
Delicious roasted tomatillos, garlic, and onion make the base of this fresh summer roasted salsa verde. Perfectly tangy and smoky with a bit of a kick, it's delicious on your enchiladas, chips, or any tortilla-based meal. It is indeed perfect for a summer picnic or lunch!
Get the recipe:
A delicious Ball® recipe for salsa verde - fresh, tangy, and smoky!
Low-sugar peach jam
Raw, baked, grilled, broiled, sautéed, or canned, juicy peaches are one of life's many little pleasures! They taste delicious, they smell divine, and they look gorgeous!
I love making peach jam and serving it with yummy English muffins, on toast, or mixed with plant-based yogurt. And when the jam contains less sugar, even the better, as we can enjoy it without the guilt!
Get the recipe HERE
Sugar-free strawberry jam
What's even more delicious than the berry straight from the plant? Fresh jam on bread. This yummy and easy-to-make Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam canning recipe is sure to please.
With no added sugar, preservatives, or colorants and lots of fresh strawberries, it's a wonderful treat you can make that will last you all year!
My favorite way of making strawberry jam is with water-bath-canning. It is quick, easy, and delicious! This is another perfect recipe if you are a first-time canner!
Get the recipe HERE
Candied jalapenos
Picking fresh jalapeños and preserving them to make these candied jalapeños is a delicious treat! With their perfectly balanced, slightly spicy, and sweet flavor, they work fantastic on top of crackers, dips, nachos, and so much more! It is the perfect accompaniment to throw in a summer picnic basket.
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There is just something magical about preserving food.
It is fun; you feel like you've accomplished something; you have food preserved for out-of-season, and it's something you can gift to others as well. I will usually double the recipe to gift some to family and friends.
I hope by making some of these canning recipes that you will experience the same joy and magic as I do!
Love, Annette xx
*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post that is part of an ongoing partnership with the Fresh Preserving Division of Newell Brands. They have provided jars, equipment and monetary compensation. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.