Spicy Dill Pickles

[Trey45]

Spicy Dill Pickles (or mild dill)

3/4 Cup White Sugar
1/2 Cup Salt
1 Quart Vinegar (apple cider, not white)
1 Quart Water
3 Tablespoons Pickling Spice Mix
1/4 Teaspoon dill seed for really dill taste, or 1/4 teaspoon dill weed for mild dill taste in each jar.
Enough cucumbers cut lengthwise to fill 7 pint jars.

Go ahead and get your water bath going while you prepare the ingredients. Sterilize your jars too. I use a microwave and fill the jars 4/5 full of tap water and nuke it long enough to boil. Shazaam your jars be sterile.
In a separate saucepan bring water to a boil and drop your lids in.
In another saucepan combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt. Put the pickling spice in a cheesecloth ball, or a tea ball and drop in the sauce[pan. Allow the liquid to come to a full rolling boil then turn heat down to simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes and stir the cheesecloth ball real good to get the most out of the spices that you can.

Dump the water out of the jars and put 1/4 teaspoon of dill seed or weed in each one. IF you want spicy add a teaspoon and a half of crushed red pepper flakes in each jar as well. Tightly pack the jars with your cucumber spears, you don't want them loose!
Remove pickling spice ball, and fill each jar to within 1/4" from the top with the HOT vinegar solution. wipe the rim with a damp towel, place a HOT lid on and screw the ring down tight. Arrange the jars in your hot water bath rack evenly, lower into the boiling water. Wait for water to boil again since it's going to stop once you lower the jars. Once it boils again, lower heat so it's not a violent full rolling boil, you don't want a simmer, you don't want a full rolling boil, find a happy medium and stick with it.
Place a lid on and allow to process for 12 to 15 minutes. I usually go for 12 minutes.
Remove jars from rack and place on a countertop that's not under an A/C vent or fan and allow to come to room temp naturally. The lids should all POP. I usually try to give my pickles a few weeks before sampling, but most times it's a couple days and I've already got a jar open.

If you want them REALLY spicy, Mortons has a HOT SALT, substitute the plain white salt for the Mortons Hot salt and HOLD ON!

[bruce drake]

now I just need to wait until the cukes are ready at the market!

[MaryB]

For a good pickle alongside a cold beer try this:

Brine of 50/50 water cider vinegar that you keep adding salt until it will no longer dissolve (bring to a boil).
Pack sterilized jars with sliced cukes, crushed garlic, sliced onion.
Add the boiling brine over the jar contents, add the cap and ring and let cool. They will seal but are not processed so put in the fridge the next day. They keep for a year if kept below 40 degrees.