1. Thoroughly rinse cucumbers. Cut thin slice with a paring knife off blossom end of each cucumber. (This is the end opposite the stem. The reason this end is cut is because it contains enzymes that soften the cucumber as it ferments.)
2. Make brine by dissolving salt in [q:1/2] gallon of filtered water.
3. In a half-gallon sterilized fermenting jar with an airlock lid, place dill and garlic. Pack whole cucumbers on top of herbs. Pour brine over, making sure cucumbers are completely covered and there’s 1 to 2 inches of headspace at top. (You may not need all brine.) Place a fermentation weight on top of cucumbers to make sure they stay under liquid. Tighten lid.
4. Set jar in a cool, dry location between 60° to 70° away from sunlight.
5. Check jar daily. If surface scum appears, skim it. Retighten lid after. Once bubbles have stopped rising (after about 6 or 7 days), transfer jar to fridge for an additional 3 days. Skim as needed. Pickles should taste sour when done. Store in fridge for up to 2 months.

1. To make brine, put vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and whisk until sugar and salt are dissolved. Whisk in cold water.
2. Put optional dill, optional mustard seeds, and optional peppercorns in a clean, wide-mouthed 1-quart jar. Pack zucchini tightly into jar.
3. Pour in brine, leaving about [q:1/2]-inch of headroom. Press zucchini down gently so all slices are submerged. Let cool completely, about 1 hour. Tap jar gently on countertop to remove any air bubbles.
4. Seal jar tightly and turn it gently to distribute seasonings evenly. Refrigerate for 24 hours before serving. Stored in the sealed jar in the refrigerator, pickles will keep for at least 1 month.

Fermentation Method for Pickles

1. Cut off the blossom end of each cucumber. If you can’t tell which end that is, cut off both ends. Put half of the spices in the bottom of a clean 2 to 3 gallon crock or glass jar.
2. Add half of the dill and half of the grape leaves, if using, then add the cucumbers, filling the jar no more than two thirds full. Top with the remaining spices, dill, and grape leaves and drop in the garlic.
3. In a large bowl, combine the vinegar, salt, and 1 gallon cold water. Pour over the cucumbers to just cover them (you may not use all of the liquid).
4. Set a small plate on top of the cucumbers and place a weight on top to keep them submerged in the brine (a quart-size freezer bag filled with water or extra brine works well). Cover loosely and set aside in a cool spot in the house for 2 to 3 weeks, until the pickles are no longer white in the center when cut.
5. After about 2 days, the mixture should start to ferment and bubble; skim the foam from the surface once every day or two.

Water Bath Canning Method for Pickles

1. Prepare for water-bath canning: Wash the jars and keep them hot in the canning pot, and put the flat lids in a heatproof bowl. Put a fine-mesh sieve over a large nonreactive pot and ladle in as much of the brine as you can.
2. Bring to a simmer. Ladle boiling water from the canning pot into the bowl with the lids. Using a jar lifter, remove the hot jars from the canning pot, carefully pouring the water from each one back into the pot, and place them upright on a folded towel. Drain the water off the jar lids.
3. Working quickly, pack the pickles in the jars as snugly as you can without damaging them. Put a garlic clove and some of the dill in each jar, along with a grape leaf, if desired.
4. Ladle in the hot brine, leaving [q:1/2] inch headspace at the top. Use a chopstick to remove the air bubbles around the inside of each jar. Use a damp paper towel to wipe the rims of the jars, then put a flat lid and ring on each jar, adjusting the ring so that it’s just finger-tight.
5. Return the jars to the water in the canning pot, making sure the water covers the jars by at least 1 inch. If pasteurizing, bring the water in the pot to 180°F, and keep it there, adjusting the burner as necessary, for 30 minutes. (Any time the water spends below 180°F must be added to the pasteurizing time so that the water is at 180°F for a total of 30 minutes.)
6. If processing, bring to a full boil, and boil for 10 minutes. Remove the jars to a folded towel and do not disturb for 12 hours. After 1 hour, check that the lids have sealed by pressing down on the center of each; if it can be pushed down, it has not sealed, and the jar should be refrigerated immediately. Label the sealed jars and store.

Preparing the Tomatoes

1. Cut the tomatoes into [q:1/4]-inch rounds, cutting out the tough core in the top slices.
2. In a large bowl, combine 3 quarts cold water with the pickling lime and add the tomatoes. Cover the bowl and set aside at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight.
3. Drain in a colander, rinse well, and cover with cold water. Let soak for 1 hour, then drain. Repeat the soaking and draining two more times to remove all of the lime; do not skip this step, as it’s necessary to remove all of the lime so that the pickles will be acidic enough for preservation.

Canning Process

1. Prepare for water-bath canning: Wash the jars and keep them hot in the canning pot, and put the flat lids in a heatproof bowl.
2. In a wide, 6- to 8-quart preserving pan, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, celery seeds, celery, and ginger. Bring to a boil, then add the drained tomatoes. Return to a boil and cook, gently pressing down on the tomatoes to keep them mostly submerged, for 15 minutes. The tomatoes will become somewhat translucent.
3. Ladle boiling water from the canning pot into the bowl with the lids. Using a jar lifter, remove the hot jars from the canning pot, carefully pouring the water from each one back into the pot, and place them upright on a folded towel.
4. Drain the water off the jar lids.
5. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the hot tomatoes to the jars. (If you’d like, insert a round of onion or two between some of the tomato slices.) Ladle in the hot syrup, leaving [q:1/2] inch headspace at the top. Use a chopstick to remove air bubbles around the inside of each jar.
6. Use a damp paper towel to wipe the rims of the jars, then put a flat lid and ring on each jar, adjusting the ring so that it’s just fingertight.
7. Return the jars to the water in the canning pot, making sure the water covers the jars by at least 1 inch. Bring to a boil, and boil for 10 minutes to process.
8. Remove the jars to a folded towel and do not disturb for 12 hours. After 1 hour, check that the lids have sealed by pressing down on the center of each; if it can be pushed down, it hasn’t sealed, and the jar should be refrigerated immediately. Label the sealed jars and store.