Grandma's Dill Pickles

Nothing wierd about these babies! Just good old fashioned dill pickles ;)

• Ready In: 2 hrs 25 mins
• Serves: 7
• Yields: 7 quarts

Ingredients

• 17 -18  lbs pickling cucumbers (3-5-inch Long)
• 1 1⁄2 cups pickling salt
• 32  cups water
• 6  cups vinegar
• 3⁄4 cup pickling salt
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 9  cups water
• 2  tablespoons  whole mixed pickling spices
• 2  tablespoons alum
• 14  teaspoons mustard seeds
• 17  garlic cloves
• 21  heads fresh dill

Directions

1. Wash cucumbers using cloth and cold water.
2. Drain, Place in large crock or pot.
3. Mix 1 1/2 cups salt and 32 cups water to make 5% brine. If you need to, mix more in same proportions to cover cucumbers.
4. Poor brine over cucumbers and let stand 24hrs, then drain.
5. Wash and sterilize jars and lids. Keep jars in boiling hot water untill ready to use. Keep lids with seals in simmering (NOT BOILING)water untill ready to use.
6. Combine Vinegar, 3/4 cups salt, sugar, and 9 cups water.
7. Tie mixed pickeling spices in cheese cloth and add to vinegar, sugar, salt and water.
8. Heat to boiling then discard cheese cloth.
9. Pack cucumbers in clean HOT jars.
10. Add 2 teaspoons mustard seed, alum, 1-2 garlic cloves, 3 heads dill or 1 tabelspoon dill seed to each jar.
11. Cover with boiling water, filling jars 1/2" from top.
12. Put seals and lids on, process in a canner. If you don't have a canner, you can cover the jars with BOILING water and place in your oven at 200F for about 20 minutes. The jars and liquid need to be hot in order for it to seal.