They say Cooking is an Art form so I thought I would share some of my experiences/recipes for others to try themselves.

Not too long ago I decided to try making some pickles after I learned and confirmed most store bought dill pickles actually contain no dill in them. Unfortunately my first batch ended in failure due to over spicing them. This second batch, however, is delicious! They're crunchy, have a kick, and a little after burn making them great for burgers or sandwiches.

To make them you need the following to make 2 jars:

Fresh Dill

Pickling Cucumbers (at least 3-4 per jar depending on size preferred, but in a pinch you can use whatever semi-seedless cucumbers you can find)

Garlic cloves

Pepper corns

Mustard Seed

Dry Ground Red Pepper

Bay Leaves

Brown Sugar

Sea Salt

Distilled White Vinegar (can be substituted with Cider Vinegar)

Filtered Water (regular tap water sucks for cooking)

Jars x2 (buy'em new or just save your old ones, doesn't matter)

Step 1) Clean and sanitize your jars. Sanitize by placing the jars & lids in boiling water for at least 15 minutes. THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT. Not properly sanitizing your jars will allow bacteria to form which will ruin your pickles and can make you sick.

Step 2) Make the Brine: Take a pot and pour in 3 cups of water, 2 cups of vinegar, 1/4 cup of salt, and 2 table spoons of brown sugar. Bring it to a boil and let the sugar/salt dissolve. It should look like a nice golden brown/bronze color when dissolved.

Step 3) Prep the jars: Peal and crush 1 garlic clove per jar. Then add 1 table spoon of Pepper Corns, 1 tea spoon of mustard seed, 1 tea spoon dry ground red pepper, a handful of chopped dill (leafy part only), and 1 or 2 bay leaves depending on size of the leaves. Slice your cucumbers in chips, quarters, or both then pack them in nice and tight into the jars with the spices.

Step 4) CAREFULLY (remember its hot!!) pour your brine into the jars using the threads as your fill line. Wipe the rims of the jars clean with a hot wet paper towel and tighten the lid on hand tight (they will vacuum seal themselves when the brine cools).

Step 5) Give your jars a good shake to mix up the spices in the brine then put them in your fridge for 1 - 2 weeks. Note, if you want to store them outside of the fridge and eat them sooner you can cook them in the jars via placing them in boiling water for 15 - 20 minutes before storing though they won't be as crunchy.

This should take about 30 minutes, maybe a few more, worth of prep and in about 1 - 2 weeks you will have delicious spicy crunchy pickles.