Grandma Verna’s Old-Fashioned Pickles
Perfect for Your Spring Garden Cucumber Harvest
At BLeaves Farms, spring brings with it a kind of magic. Fresh blossoms, longer days, and the overflowing bounty of the garden. One of the most prolific crops during this season? Cucumbers. Crisp, cool, and endlessly versatile, they seem to ripen all at once, leaving us with an abundance just begging to be preserved. That’s where Grandma Verna’s Pickles come in.
This treasured recipe comes straight from Jeff’s Polish grandmother, who taught him that food is love, and that every meal should be nourishing, delicious, and made from the heart. Jeff credits much of his cooking ability to the hours he spent watching and learning from her as a child. Her pickles were a staple at family gatherings, tangy, garlicky, and bursting with fresh dill. Today, Jeff brings that tradition to our farm and shares it with you. Jeff’s mother makes these pickles as well, and I remember the first time I tried one, I thought it was perhaps the most perfect thing I had ever tasted! They’re truly out of this world.
The Garden Connection
Spring is prime cucumber season here at BLeaves Farms, and these pickles are the perfect way to use up your harvest. Whether you grow pickling cucumbers, or any small, crunchy variety, this recipe captures their peak freshness and stretches the joy of your garden.
We love heading out into the garden to gather cucumbers from the vines and turning them into jars of goodness the same day. There’s something deeply satisfying about that rhythm of grow, harvest, and preserve.
Ingredients
(Makes 2 large jars or 4 small jars)
- 8 to 10 pickling cucumbers
- 4 garlic cloves, halved
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoons peppercorns
- Fresh dill sprigs, a few per jar
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
We recommend using a mandoline slicer to speed up slicing time, especially if you’re making lots of pickle chips!
How to Make Grandma Verna’s Pickles
1. Slice the Cucumbers
We use pickling cucumbers from our spring garden, but any fresh, crunchy cucumber works beautifully. Slice into halves lengthwise, spears, or round chips depending on your pickle preference.
2. Fill the Jars
Divide your cucumber slices between glass mason jars. 16-ounce jars are our favorite. Add garlic, dill, mustard seeds, and peppercorns evenly to each jar.
3. Make the Brine
In a saucepan, combine water, vinegar, sugar, and sea salt. Heat just until the sugar and salt dissolve. This brine isn’t sweet. It balances the vinegar’s tang for the perfect sour pickle flavor.
4. Cool and Refrigerate
Pour the hot brine over the cucumbers in the jars. Let them cool to room temperature before sealing. Refrigerate for best results:
- Dill pickle chips are ready in 24 hours
- Spears need at least 48 hours
- Peak flavor happens around day 5
They’ll last several weeks in the fridge…if they don’t disappear first!
Helpful Tools for Pickling
We’ve tested plenty of tools in our farm kitchen. Here are our top picks for easy, mess-free pickling:
- Fermentation weights: Keep those cucumbers submerged for optimal crunch
- Jar funnel: Perfect for clean, precise pouring
Join Us on Social Media
We LOVE seeing what you’re growing and cooking! If you make Grandma Verna’s pickles, please follow and tag us!
Come grow and preserve with us. BLeaves Farms is more than a place, it’s a way of life.
Affiliate Disclosure
Some links in this post are affiliate links. This means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. These funds help us continue sharing garden-fresh recipes and homesteading know-how with our amazing community. Thank you for supporting BLeaves Farms!
