Rainbeau Ridge Pickles
(makes about 4 quarts)

Ingredients
4 pounds 3 to 4 inch long pickling cucumbers
2 cups white vinegar
6 cups water
1/2 cup kosher salt (use 1/3 cup of pickling salt which is finely ground kosher salt)
8 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
8+ large sprigs fresh dill weed

Supplies
4 quart-sized canning jars with lids, clean & sterilized

Directions:

• Wash cucumbers, and place in a bowl of ice. Soak in ice water for about 2 hours if you can; but that is not absolutely necessary. You can use the cucumbers whole or slice them, depending on what you'd like to have when you're done!
• In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine the vinegar, water, and salt and bring to a rapid boil (this is called ‘brine’ which means 'water saturated with salt'; brine is a preservative)
• In each jar, place 2 half-cloves of garlic, one large sprig of dill, then enough cucumbers to fill the jar (about 1 pound); at the top of the jar add 2 more garlic halves, and 1 more large sprig of dill
• Fill the jars with the brine, which should still be hot
• Seal the jars tightly
• Now, create a boiling water bath: take a large pot and put a metal cooling rack in the bottom so that the jars won’tbe touching the bottom of the pot; place the jars in the pot and fill with water up to 1 inch above the top of the jars; turn on high heat to bring the water to a boil; leave them in the boiling water for 15 minutes
• Store pickles for a minimum of 4 weeks before eating; refrigerate after opening
• Enjoy!

Rainbeau Ridge Notes: Pickles will keep for up to 2 years if stored in a cool dry place. Use this recipe to make dill pickles. To make variations, you can use pickling spices, including mustard seed, coriander, etc. and not the dill and garlic.