Well, I did my research on a university extension tested recipe and I have to share my research with you. I cannot find much for recipes of this type that will allow no sugar and it came to my attention that ALL the university extension recipes for FRESH PACK DILL PICKLES are essentially 'the same recipe' or they provide no recipe at all.
The recipe I'll be using is not a tested university extension recipe and I don't recommend anyone use anything but the tested ones. What is frustrating is that dill pickles (whole, spears, relish, chips) have all kinds of tastes but the recipe that is approved by the university extensions has the SAME vinegar/water ratio and similar amounts of salt.
It appears they all SHARED this recipe. In the land of 50 states, and billions of taste buds, it would make sense to at least test out a FEW kinds of fresh pack dill pickles for the general population, but that isn't the case. It's ridiculous. It is like all recipes for xxxxxxx item should be the same--they (extension services) aren't making this easy. I can certainly see where people would be frustrated with this and use non-approved recipes.
Here is the APPROVED recipe from Iowa State:
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1368.pdf
18 pounds pickling cucumbers (3- to 5-inch)
2¼ cups water
1½cups canning or pickling salt
2 tablespoons whole mixed pickling spice
2 gallons water
7 tablespoons dill seed (1 tablespoon per quart jar)
1½ quarts vinegar (4-6%)
21 heads fresh dill (3 heads per quart jar) OR
¼ cup sugar
5 tablespoons whole mustard seed (2 teaspoons per quart jar)
Wash cucumbers. Cut 1⁄16-inch slice off blossom end and discard; leave ¼-inch of stem attached. Place cucumbers in a large suitable container. Dissolve ¾ cup of the salt in 2 gallons water. Pour over cucumbers and let stand 12 hours. Drain. Combine vinegar, remaining ¾ cup salt (varies with 1/2 cup salt), sugar, and 2¼ cups water. Place pickling spices in a spice or cheesecloth bag and add to pickling solution. Heat to boiling. Fill jars with pickles. Add 2 teaspoons mustard seed and 3 heads fresh dill (or 1 tablespoon dill seed) to each quart. Cover with boiling pickling solution, leaving ½inch headspace. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids and process in boiling water canner for time specified in Table 1 or use low-temperature pasteurization as described on page 3.
Here are the university extension states with the same recipe (not all inclusive as I only spent a few hours on this):
Iowa State
Montana State
University of Wisconsin Winnebago County
University of Wisconsin Extension Cooperative Extension
North Carolina State
Colorado State
University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension (refers to Dept of Agriculture)
New Mexico State
Ohio State
North Dakota
University of Maine
University of Missouri
University of Wyoming
Texas A&M
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Kansas State
University of Kentucky
Pennsylvania State
West Virginia
Non-State University and Extension Services:
The National Center for Home Food Preservation-Dept. of Agriculture
Clemson Cooperative Extension
Cornell
Tested recipes that are DIFFERENT:
This Quick Dill Pickle Recipe is different Oregon:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/pnw/pnw355.pdf
This recipe for Kosher Dills Oregon:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/lane/sites/default/files/documents/lc352pickled_recipes.pdf
This recipe is for Fresh Packed Dill Pickles using Cider vinegar Alabama:
http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/H/HE-0071/HE-0071.pdf
This is Fresh Pack Dill Pickles Washington:
http://4h.wsu.edu/EM2778CD/pdf/em4921.pdf
I really have to applaud any university extension that takes time to test recipes instead of sharing essentially the same recipe as most other extension services use. Oregon, Alabama and Washington, thank you!
Got Garlic, I can see where having a book would be a welcome change! Thanks all.
