Spicy Sweet & Sour Dill Pickles

Wash cucumbers thoroughly. Sterilize your jars and lids. I normally wash them in soapy water and boil for about 10–15 minutes in a large pot. Make sure all your jars are of the same size.

For the sweet and sour pickling sauce:
Bring water, salt, and sugar to a boil. Cook until sugar has dissolved. Turn off heat. Add vinegar and stir.

For the pickles:
At the bottom of each jar, add 1 dill flower, 2 to 3 Jamaican peppercorns or allspice, 3 whole peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, and, if desired, coriander seeds and cloves.

Fill each jar with whole pickling cucumbers. Fit in as many as possible (you could fit it about 400 grams or 14 ounces) and 1 to 2 chilies, if you like them hot. Pour over the pickling sauce, leaving 1cm or 1/2 inch headspace.

Close jars with sterilized lids and place them in a pot. Cover with water but make sure the lids are not underwater; leave 1cm or 1/2 inch space between lids and water. (Note: You can use warm or cold sweet and sour pickling sauce. Just use warm water to fill the pot.)

Slowly bring water to a boil and boil 10 minutes at 100ºC (212ºF). Take the jars out (use tongs) and place them upside down on a kitchen towel until the next day.

Check if each jar is airtight. If you find some jars are not, simply place them in the fridge and eat these first.