Ingredients:

4 lbs. of 4-inch pickling cucumbers

2 tbsp. dill seed or 4 to 5 heads fresh or dry dill weed

½ cup salt

¼ cup vinegar (5%)

8 cups water

one or more of the following ingredients:

2 cloves garlic (optional)

2 dried red peppers (optional)

2 tsp. whole mixed pickling spices (optional)

Directions:

1. Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch slice off blossom end and discard. Leave ¼ inch of stem attached.

2. Place half of dill and spices on bottom of a clean, suitable container. Add cucumbers, remaining dill, and spices.

3. Dissolve salt in vinegar and water and pour over cucumbers. Add suitable cover and weight.

4. Store where temperature is between 70° and 75° F for about 3 to 4 weeks while fermenting. 5. Temperatures of 55° to 65° F are acceptable, but the fermentation will take 5 to 6 weeks. Avoid temperatures above 80° F, or pickles will become too soft during fermentation. Fermenting pickles cure slowly.

6. Check the container several times a week and promptly remove surface scum or mold. Caution: If the pickles become soft, slimy, or develop a disagreeable odor, discard them.

7. Storage. Fully fermented pickles may be stored in their original containers for about 4 to 6 months, provided they are refrigerated and surface scum and molds are removed regularly. Canning fully fermented pickles is a better way to store them. To can them, pour the brine into a pan, heat slowly to a boil, and simmer 5 minutes. Filter brine through paper coffee filters to reduce cloudiness, if desired. Fill jar with pickles and hot brine, leaving a ½-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process as below, or use the low-temperature pasteurization treatment.

Bon Appetit!