I recently learned that when my mother was pregnant with me she constantly craved pickles.  This might explain why I have an unhealthy obsession with them.  I’ve been trying to make my own pickles at home for a few months now (that sounds like a lot of failure, but I have to wait between one and three weeks for each batch).   Finally, today, I made some good ones!  Here’s the recipe (credit to howtopickle.com):

What you need:
Ball Jars (or any other glass canning jars)
Distilled water (this is important, you can buy it at most grocery stores)
White Vinegar
Kosher, non-iodized salt
Pickling cucumbers (this is important, I made the mistake of using small cucumbers and it did not end well).

Ok, I confess, I used a mixture of “pickling spices” that I picked up from Whole Foods; but if you’re ambitious and you want to make your own spice for the brine you can find the recipe at howtopickle.com.

• The recipe I used calls for 3 parts distilled water to 1 part white vinegar.
• Boil this mixture in a pot. 
• Put the spices into the bottom of the jars you’re using (I used about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the premixed stuff per jar) and put the cucumbers into the jars.
• Pour the hot brine into the jars (careful! The glass gets hot quickly).

If you’re familiar with sealing jars you can skip the next part, but I did this wrong once and ruined a week of anxious pickle-waiting so I thought I’d share.

• Place the lid and cap on the jar and screw the lid on, but be sure not to over tighten, you want steam to be able to leave.
• Get a large pot and fill it with water such that you can put your jars in and they won’t make it overflow.  If you have a wire cooling rack that will fit into the bottom of your pot use that, if not it’s not a huge deal (I’ve done it without before).
• Get the water really boiling and then put your jars in.
• Boil your jars for between 5 and 10 minutes (for pickles, other canned goods require more or less time), no longer.  Sometimes you’ll hear the top “pop” but sometimes you won’t.
• To make sure your cans are sealed make sure that the top is depressed, not raised (just like a pop-top from the store).

Store your pickles in the refrigerators for 7-10 days, and then enjoy!  I’m still learning the art of pickling, but today was my first set of really successful, tasty and tangy dill pickles and I’m stoked!