PREP: 30 minutes PROCESS: 10 minutes STAND: 1 week MAKES: 6 pints

Best-Ever Dill Pickles

What You’ll Need

3 to 3¼ lb. 4-inch pickling cucumbers

4 cups water

4 cups white vinegar

½ cup sugar

⅓ cup pickling salt

6 Tbsp. dill seeds

How to Make It

1. Thoroughly scrub cucumbers with a soft vegetable brush in plenty of cold running water. Remove stems and blossoms; slice off blossom ends. Cut cucumbers lengthwise into quarters.

2. In a 4- to 5-qt. stainless-steel, enamel, or nonstick heavy pot combine the water, vinegar, sugar, and pickling salt. Bring mixture to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar.

3. Pack cucumber spears loosely into six hot sterilized pint canning jars, leaving a ½-inch headspace. Add 1 Tbsp. dill seeds to each jar. Pour hot vinegar mixture into jars, maintaining the ½-inch headspace. Discard any remaining vinegar mixture. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids and screw bands.

4. Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner 10 minutes (start timing when water returns to boiling). Remove jars from canner; cool on wire racks. Let stand at room temperature 1 week before serving. (Canning tips, pages 461–466.)

Hot Garlic Pickles: Prepare as directed, except substitute cider vinegar for the white vinegar. Before packing cucumbers in jars, add 1 to 2 fresh Thai chile peppers and 2 cloves garlic, halved, to each jar. Makes 6 pints.

PER ¼ CUP PICKLES, PLAIN, HOT GARLIC, OR REFRIGERATOR VARIATIONS: 11 cal., 0 g fat, 0 mg chol., 358 mg sodium, 2 g carb., 0 g fiber, 0 g pro.

Sweet Dill Pickles: Prepare as directed, except increase sugar to 3 cups. Makes 6 pints.

Per ¼ cup pickles: 29 cal., 0 g fat, 0 mg chol., 358 mg sodium, 7 g carb., 0 g fiber, 0 g pro.

1. Slice off the blossom ends of the cucumbers. This part contains enzymes that can cause pickles to become mushy.

2. Pack the spears, slices, or whole cucumbers loosely into the jars. Add the seasonings and then the hot brine.

Refrigerator Pickles: Prepare as directed through Step 3, except add one or two sprigs fresh dill to each jar. Store pickles in the refrigerator up to 1 month. Makes 6 pints.