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dill pickles

I love pickles so I was pretty excited to can some from the cucumbers in my garden. I made sweet pickles and these dill pickles.

Ingredients
4 pounds medium cucumbers (about 30)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Ball 100% Natural¨ Canning and Pickling Salt
4 cups cider vinegar, 5% acidity
4 cups water
3 tablespoons mixed pickling spices
5 bay leaves
5 garlic cloves
2 1/2 teaspoons mustard seed
Green or dry dill (1 head per jar)

Boil jars and closures.

Wash cucumbers and remove 1/16-inch from blossom end. Cut into 1/4-inch slices.

Combine sugar, salt, vinegar and water in a large saucepot. Tie pickling spices in a spice bag; add spice bag to vinegar mixture and simmer 15 minutes.

Pack cucumber slices into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.

Add to each jar; one bay leaf, one garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed and one head of dill.

Heat pickling liquid to boiling. Remove from heat. Carefully ladle hot pickling liquid over cucumber slices, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.

Remove air bubbles with a nonmetallic spatula. Wipe jar rim clean. Place lid on jar with sealing compound next to glass. Screw band down evenly and firmly just until a point of resistance is met - fingertip tight. Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Yield: about 5 pints.