Grandma’s Dill Pickles

Wash cucumbers with cold water and place on paper towels to drain. Trim a tiny sliver off of each end of the cucumbers.

Prepare 9 quart jars for canning. Tightly pack rinsed cucumbers into clean jars. Add fresh jalapeño to each jar, with 2 cloves of garlic, 2 grape leaves and 1 to 2 large sprigs of dill per jar.

Bring water, vinegar, and salt to a boil. Pour over cucumbers, filling to within ¼ inch of the jar top. Run a butter knife down between the cucumbers and jar to remove any air bubbles and to make sure the liquid is covering everything completely.

Wipe off rims of filled jars with a clean damp kitchen towel, then firmly screw on lids with screw bands.

Place sealed jars in canner or pot and add enough hot water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, covered. Boil, covered for 10 minutes, then transfer jars with jar tongs to a towel-lined surface to cool. Jars will seal—you will hear pings, which indicate that the jars are sealed. You will notice that the lid is concave.

After jars have cooled for 24 hours, press center of each lid to check if it’s concave. If it goes back and forth, then the lid did not seal and the contents need to be refrigerated and eaten within a week.

Let dill pickles stand in jars at least 4 weeks before eating.