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If you're wondering why anyone would go to the trouble of making their own pickles when supermarket shelves are lined with perfectly good pickles, let me tell you: Making your own anything, pickles included, is very empowering. Your brain concludes that, if you can make pickles, then you can probably do a lot of other things, too.

• 4 dozen pickling cucumbers (about 3 inches in length)
• 1 bunch fresh dill
• 1 quart apple cider vinegar
• 8 cups water
• 1 cup pickling salt
• 12 to 16 garlic cloves, peeled (quantity according to taste)

Wash the cucumbers and remove any stems. Cover with cold water and refrigerate overnight or for several hours.

Pack the cucumbers into pint jars as tightly as possible. Poke in 2 sprigs of dill per jar.

Bring the vinegar, water, salt and garlic cloves to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Fish out the garlic cloves with a slotted spoon and put one in each jar (or to taste) while the brine cools slightly.

Pour the hot brine into the jars and seal. Makes 12 pints.