Very interesting! I hope someone responses! What is the recipe that you have? I would like to try it too!

My 2cents worth on dill weed compared to seeds, I usually have to add about 3 times the amount of weed compared to seed. I would just use the seed, I'm guessing that's what you mean by heads?

I use 2 T. dill weed per pint jar in my pickles.

I saw some pickled brussel sprouts at our gourmet grocery store recently. About $8.00 a pint! The dilly beams were expensive, too. I'm not growing any brussel sprouts but next time I see good one's on sale I'm going to try pickling them.
I'd also like to try fermenting them like sauerkraut. Wonder if you could ferment them without having to chop them up?

This recipe for pickled Brussels sprouts was just posted on the Mother Earth News website for anyone that is interested. I am going to try it this fall if my 4 plants produce enough.

Pickled Brussels Sprouts Recipe

This recipe is adapted from one found in The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by Carol W. Costenbader.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs (about 6 cups) fresh Brussels sprouts
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 ½ cups water
• 2 ½ cups cider vinegar (5% acidity)
• 3 tbsp canning salt
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 tsp dill seed

Directions

1. Trim Brussels sprouts of old foliage and check to make sure that there aren’t any insect holes. Cut large sprouts in half.

2. Steam the Brussels sprouts in the microwave or on the stove-top until tender, but still bright green. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Pack into four, pint-sized canning jars. Peel 4 garlic cloves and place one in each jar with the sprouts.

3. In a saucepan, combine the water, cider vinegar, canning salt, cayenne pepper, and dill seed. This is the sinus clearing part – bring to a boil and let boil for 5 minutes. Don’t stand over the pot and inhale the aroma!

4. Ladle the vinegar mixture over the Brussels sprouts leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Cap, using the two-piece canning lids and process in a boiling water bath canner or 15 minutes.

I just found another discussion about this same recipe from a few years back. Dave mentioned that the NCHFP recipe called for straight vinegar instead of half vinegar and half water. Also wondering if 1/8 tsp of pickle crisp per pint is needed to prevent mushiness?

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