Sliced Dill Pickles with Coriander

Slicing the cucumbers lengthwise makes the pickles just right to use straight out of the jar in sandwiches and on hamburgers, straight out of the jar. The texture is slightly soft, which makes them easy to eat when tucked in between other ingredients in a sandwich.

7 (1-quart) glass canning jars with lids and screw bands
8 to 10 lb. firm pickling cucumbers (look for young dark green cucumbers with few seeds)
7 sprigs fresh dill
3 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds, divided
8 cups distilled water
4 cups cider vinegar
3/4 cup pickling salt
7 small heads fresh dill with seeds or additional dill sprigs

1. To sterilize jars, place on rack in large pot. (If you don’t have a specially designed canning pot with jar holders, put small round cooling rack in bottom of pot to elevate jars.) Fill pot and jars with enough hot water to completely cover. Cover pot; bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes. To keep warm, leave jars in water or place on rimmed baking sheet in 250°F. oven. (This prevents the jars from breaking when you add the hot brine.)

2. Warm lids and screw bands according to manufacturer’s directions.

3. Meanwhile, slice 1/2 inch off end of each cucumber. With mandolin or sharp knife, slice cucumbers lengthwise into generous 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place 1 dill sprig and 1/2 teaspoon of the coriander seeds in each hot sterilized jar. Tightly pack sliced cucumbers in jars.

4. Combine water, vinegar and salt in large saucepan; cover and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve salt. Pour over cucumbers, filling jars to within 1/4 inch of rim, leaving headspace. Add dill heads with seeds to each jar.

5. Wipe rims of jars with damp cloth. Place warm canning lid on rim; tighten screw band around jar until it’s finger-tight. (Do not overtighten.) Repeat with remaining jars.

6. Place filled jars on rack in large pot of hot water (water should cover jars by at least 1 inch). Cover and bring to a rapid boil; boil 15 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary and starting timing only after water has come to a full boil. Carefully remove jars; place on paper towel-lined baking sheet.

7. Let jars stand 12 hours. As jars cool, they should make a loud popping sound. Make sure each jar has sealed and each lid is concave on top. Store in cool dark place up to 1 year (the shorter the storage time, the better the quality). Let pickles stand 3 days before opening; refrigerate opened jars of pickles. Once opened, they’ll keep up to 3 months in the refrigerator.

7 quarts

PER 2 SLICES: 5 calories, 0 g total fat (0 g saturated fat), .5 g protein, 1.5 g carbohydrate, 0 mg cholesterol, 170 mg sodium, .5 g fiber