my first pickles

two weeks ago i helped harvest more than twelve bags of cucumbers from the farm, mainly picklers, and so naturally, pickles followed.

i decided to use a two-day method which sounds daunting, but isn't. (the first day all you do is brine them overnight.)

to be exact you clean up the cukes and layer them with ice, then pour cold water and 1 c. of pickling salt over them until they are covered and let brine over night. you can use a plate to keep them under the water.

i used a recipe from the ball home canning guide:

brine

• 2T pickling spice
  
• 8 c. water
  
• 6 c. white vinegar
  
• 3/4 c. pickling salt
  
• 1/4 c. sugar
  

per jar additions

• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
  
• 1t mustard seeds
  
• 1T dill seeds

after at least 12 hours (but no more than 18) i drained them, packed them in the jars and topped them with hot pickle brine. gave them the standard 1/2" headspace and water processed them for 10 minutes.

ta-da! aren't they beautiful?