Fill the kettle with water and place the jars inside. Cover and bring to a boil. Allow it to boil for about five minutes to sterilize the jars. Reduce the heat to medium and let them set.

Mix the salt and water and bring it to a boil.

While the salt brine is boiling, place the jar lids in a small pan of boiling water and boil them for about five minutes. This will soften the seal inside the top and allow it to be tight around the jar. 

Next, wash the cucumbers. I use a soft brush to make sure I get all the dirt and debris off. You can cut them or leave them whole.

Carefully remove the jars from the water and pour the water inside of them back onto the kettle. Set them on a board or dish towel and place one to two peeled cloves of garlic in the bottom of each jar. If you are using dill, place that in the jar now.

Next pack each jar  as tight as possible with the cucumbers (I cut some so I can totally pack the jar), then pour 1/4 cup of vinegar into each jar. Carefully pour the brine over the cucumber to about 1/2 inch from the top.

Wipe the rim and around the rim to make sure there is no salt or any other debris that will interfere with the seal.

Take out one lid, place it securely on the top of a jar, then put the ring around it. You want it tight, but not too tight. It need to be able to push some air out to create a seal. Repeat for all the jars.

Place the jars onto the rack and carefully lower into the kettle.

Bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, cover the pot and start the timer. Do not start timing until the water is boiling.

Allow to process for 15 minutes.

Turn the heat off. Gently lift the jars out with the jar lifter and set them on a dish towel to cool. As they cool, you may hear a pop of the lid pulling down. That's just part of the seal.

If you can push the top and hear it move, the seal was not made. You can take the lid off and reprocess with a new one, or simply put it in the refrigerator and use it up within a couple of weeks. If the seal is made properly, you can store them on the shelf for a year. Once opened, refrigerator and use within a couple of weeks.