– 12 to 14 Persian cucumbers or 8 to 10 pickling cucumbers – 4 garlic cloves, halved – 2 teaspoons mustard seeds – 2 teaspoons peppercorns – a few good-sized dill sprigs, per jar – 2 cups water – 2 cups distilled white vinegar – ¼ cup cane sugar – 2 tablespoons sea salt

– To make dill pickle spears, slice the cucumbers lengthwise into quarters. To make dill pickle chips, thinly slice them horizontally. – Divide the cucumbers among 4 (8-ounce) or 2 (16-ounce) jars. Divide the garlic, mustard seeds, peppercorns, and dill sprigs among each jar. – Heat the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar and salt dissolve, about 1 minute. Let cool slightly and pour over the cucumbers. 

Set aside to cool to room temperature, then store the pickles in the fridge. – Pickle spears will be lightly pickled in 2 days, but their best flavor will start to develop around day 5 or 6. Pickle chips will be lightly pickled in 1 day, and will become more flavorful every day after that. Store in the fridge for several weeks.