Spiced Cumin Dill Pickles

Directions

Brine cucumbers: The day before pickling, prepare cucumbers. In a large bowl, combine cucumbers and salt. Toss to distribute the salt evenly. Cover with water and stire again to dissolve the salt. Cover the surface with plastic wrap, and weight it with a clean dinner plate. Brine the cucumbers for 18 to 24 hours, depending on the size of the cucumbers. 

Assemble jars: Evenly distribute spices, garlic and herbs in six large jars. Stand the cucumbers upright, packing closely without jamming them in. Bring the cider vinegar, water salt and sugar to a rolling boil. Pour the boiling liquid over the cucumbers to cover. Using a non-metallic utensil, remove air bubbles and adjust the head space, if required, by adding more cucumber slices and hot liquid. Wipe the jar rim to remove any hot food residue. Centre hot sealing disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance is met; then increase to fingertip tight. Return filled jar to rack in canner. Repeat with remaining jars. 

Canning pickles: When the canner is filled, ensure that water covers all jars by at least one inch. Cover canner and bring water to full bolling boil before starting to count processing time. Boil for 15 minutes. Turn off stove, remove canning lid, and wait five minutes. Remove jars without tilting; place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed for 24 hours. Do not retighten screw bands. After cooling, check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use within one year. 

Yields six 500-millilitre jars.