- 2 tablespoons Ball® Mixed Pickling Spice
- 2 1/2 cups cider vinegar
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup Ball® Preserving & Pickling Salt
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 3 heads fresh dill
- 8 cups sliced, trimmed pickling cucumbers (1/4-inch slices)
- 1/8 teaspoon Ball® Pickle Crisp® Granules
- 3 Ball® or Kerr® Pint (16 oz) Jars with lids and bands
- Prepare stockpot/canner and jars as directed in step-by-step instructions
- Tie pickling spices in a square of cheesecloth, creating a spice bag.
- Combine vinegar, water, sugar, pickling salt and spice bag in a medium stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt. Reduce heat and boil gently for 15 minutes, until spices have infused the liquid.
- Place 1 bay leaf, 1 garlic clove, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds and 1 head of dill into each jar. Pack cucumber slices into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Add rounded 1/8 tsp Pickle Crisp(R) Granulates. Ladle hot pickling liquid into jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles; re-measure headspace. If needed, add more cucumbers to meet recommended headspace. Wipe rim; center lid on jar. Screw band until fingertip-tight.
- Process filled jars in boiling water for 15 minutes. Remove stockpot lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.