12 cups of water

4 cups of white vinegar

1 cup of pickling salt

¼ cup of sugar

Mix these in a pot and bring it to a gentle boil. Stir it well to dissolve the salt and sugar thoroughly. This brine is the magic potion that transforms regular cucumbers into tangy, flavorful pickles.

First, put a whole stem of dill, the whole thing, and pack it down into the bottom of the jar.

Next, place one or two garlic cloves; this is a personal preference.

Now, it is time to add the cucumbers. Stand the larger cucumbers on end, one next to each other using as much of the space as possible. Be strategic with the size of the cucumbers, and pack them as tight as possible. You may need to use a medium or small cucumber to push down to fill in some extra spaces between the other cucumbers. This is key!

After completing this first layer, add another sprig of dill and garlic clove. You will now add medium/small cucumbers on their side in layers to fill the rest of the jar to 1-inch head space.

Pour the boiling brine over the packed cucumbers until fully covered, leaving a half an inch of space at the top. Wipe the rims with a clean, damp cloth. Place the clean lid on top of the jar followed by the rim. Tighten the rim finger tight. It is now time to process the jars!

Place a canning rack in a large pot and fill it with water.

Bring the water to a boil.

Submerge the sealed jars into the boiling water. Ensure that the jars are covered with at least one inch of water.

Bring to a boil and let them process for 10 minutes.

Remove the canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then carefully remove the jars using the jar lifter.