Recipe salt brine pickles

I have a batch of these going now.

In a crock, or some other kind of straight sided container (I'm using a plastic tea pitcher) put down 3-4 dill heads in flower, then 2-3 heads worth of peeled garlic. Layer some grape leaves on top of these (tannin helps with crispness), and toss in a few black peppercorns. Now pile your cucumbers on top. Make sure they're clean and you removed the blossom end coz it can be bitter and ruin the whole batch.

Pour 1/4 to 3/8ths cup of sea salt into 8 cups of water, stir to dissolve. Pour this brine over the cucumbers until they are just covered, but before they start to float. Now place something on top to keep the whole thing down. I crammed a saute pot lid down in there. Add the rest of your brine to submerge the entire thing. Set somewhere cool and out of sunlight.

Check it daily. If you see any mold forming on the lid or plate or whatever you used to hold it down, clean it off. If the brine is getting icky, either replace it or boil and strain it and then pour it back in. If you need to add more, it's a tablespoon of salt to a cup of water. Your pickles should be fermented about right after a week or two, and should be full sour by 4 weeks. Move into the fridge around that time to slow the fermentation down... if you haven't already eaten them all.

If you like a little heat with your salt, toss in a few peppers.