Long-Fermented Kosher Dill Pickles - pickling spice

Method

• Cut off the blossom end of each cucumber.
• If you can't tell which end that is, cut off both ends.
• Put half of the spices in the bottom of a clean 2- to 3-gallon crock or glass jar.
• Add half of the dill and half of the grape leaves, if using, then add the cucumbers, filling the jar no more than two thirds full.
• Top with the remaining spices, dill, and grape leaves and drop in the garlic.
• In a large bowl, combine the vinegar, salt, and 1 gallon cold water.
• Pour over the cucumbers to just cover them (you may not use all of the liquid).
• Set a small plate on top of the cucumbers and place a weight on top to keep them submerged in the brine (a quart-size freezer bag filled with water or extra brine works well).
• Cover loosely and set aside in a cool spot in the house for 2 to 3 weeks, until the pickles are no longer white in the center when cut.
• After about 2 days, the mixture should start to ferment and bubble; skim the foam from the surface once every day or two.
• Prepare for water-bath canning: Wash the jars and keep them hot in the canning pot, and put the flat lids in a heatproof bowl.
• (See Notes for details.)
• Put a fine-mesh sieve over a large nonreactive pot and ladle in as much of the brine as you can.
• Bring to a simmer.
• Ladle boiling water from the canning pot into the bowl with the lids.
• Using a jar lifter, remove the hot jars from the canning pot, carefully pouring the water from each one back into the pot, and place them upright on a folded towel.
• Drain the water off the jar lids.
• Working quickly, pack the pickles in the jars as snugly as you can without damaging them.
• Put a garlic clove and some of the dill in each jar, along with a grape leaf, if desired.
• Ladle in the hot brine, leaving l/2 inch headspace at the top.
• Use a chopstick to remove the air bubbles around the inside of each jar.
• Use a damp paper towel to wipe the rims of the jars, then put a flat lid and ring on each jar, adjusting the ring so that it's just finger-tight.
• Return the jars to the water in the canning pot, making sure the water covers the jars by at least 1 inch.
• If pasteurizing, bring the water in the pot to 180F, and keep it there, adjusting the burner as necessary, for 30 minutes.
• (Any time the water spends below 180F must be added to the pasteurizing time so that the water is at 180F for a total of 30 minutes.)
• If processing, bring to a full boil, and boil for 10 minutes.
• Remove the jars to a folded towel and do not disturb for 12 hours.
• After 1 hour, check that the lids have sealed by pressing down on the center of each; if it can be pushed down, it hasn't sealed, and the jar should be refrigerated immediately.
• Label the sealed jars and store.