Brined Dill Pickles

Ingredients

• 10 lb (4.5 kg) pickling cucumbers (4 inch)
• 3/4 cup mixed pickling spice*
• 24 - 30 heads fresh dill*
• 6 - 12 cloves garlic
• 16 cups water*
• 2 cups white vinegar*
• 1 1/2 cups pickling salt*

Directions

1. Wash a large crock or food-grade plastic container with hot soapy water. Rinse container with a solution of 1 tbsp (15 mL) chlorine bleach per quart (L) of water; rinse with boiling water. Wash cucumbers thoroughly. Trim 1/8 inch (3 mm) off stem and blossom ends. Place half of the pickling spice, dill and garlic in crock. Fill crock with cucumbers to within 4 inches (10 cm) of top. Add remaining pickling spice, dill and garlic. To prepare pickling liquid, combine water, vinegar and salt. Stir until salt is dissolved. Pour over cucumbers. Place a weight on top of cucumbers to hold them under liquid. Store crock in a room with a consistent temperature of 70 – 75ºF (21 – 24ºC) for 2 - 3 weeks while cucumbers are fermenting. Remove surface scum daily. Let cucumbers ferment until well flavoured with dill and evenly coloured or translucent throughout. Fully fermented pickles may be stored in the original crock for 4 - 6 months, provided they are refrigerated and surface scum is removed regularly. Water bath processing fully fermented pickles is preferable. To process, remove pickles from pickling liquid. Strain liquid into a nonreactive Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Pack pickles into hot sterilized jars. Pour boiling pickling liquid over pickles, leaving 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) headspace. Remove air bubbles with a narrow rubber spatula or plastic knife. Add additional pickling liquid, if required, to maintain headspace. Wipe jar rims thoroughly with a clean damp cloth. Seal and process for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath. For altitudes higher than 3000 ft (914 m), add 5 minutes to processing time.