In 3 clean 16 oz mason jars, pack cucumber spears (I also put in green tomatoes and other veggies that want to be pickled), bunches of dill, and thinly sliced shallots.
In a pot, pour 2 cups of water, 1 cup of apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons of mustard seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of dill seed, 4 black peppercorns, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of kosher salt. Bring it to a boil and make sure all the salt is dissolved. Remove pot from heat.
While this brine is still hot, ladle it into the jars, within a 1/2 inch from the top. You may have extra brine, depending on how you packed the cucumbers.
Leave out at room temperature until cool, then refrigerate for up to two weeks.
The tighter you pack the veggies in the jars, the less strong the pickles will turn out. More brine and more time sitting out before refrigeration = stronger tasting pickles.
Sarah Graden, Swarthmore CO-OP Owner
