Kirby cucumbers are the "classic" pickling cucumber, and are recommended for sweet and crunchy pickles. Typically, for pickling a batch, you'll want at least two or three pounds of cucumbers. Rinse them thoroughly and cut them in the desired shape. You can cut them into rounds or chips, spears, or keep them whole for pickling. If you keep them whole, trim off the flower-end of the cucumber. To ensure crispy canned pickles, pack your sliced or whole cucumbers in salt and ice and keep them in the fridge for up to 24 hours before you pickle them. In a bowl, toss 3-4 tbsp of kosher salt with your cucumbers and an equal amount of ice. Cover the bowl with a wet towel or plastic wrap and keep them in the fridge while you prepare the other ingredients and supplies. If you're going to can the pickles, you'll want a 1 : 1 ratio of vinegar to water for making the "pickle juice." Depending on how many pickles you have, a quart should be enough. You can always mix up more on the fly. Regular white vinegar is fine, or you can use cider vinegar or another vinegar you prefer. To this, add 1.5 tbsp of kosher salt.  Mix in a saucepan or pot. Heat the mixture on the stove until it comes to a boil. Lower the head and keep it at a steady temperature. It needs to be at boiling temperature to pickle the cucumbers. "Pickle crisp" is a commercial pickling product used to keep pickles crispy. It's basically calcium chloride. A natural alternative to pickle crisp is to use grape leaves in the jars, which was the traditional way to keep the pickles from softening. How you want to spice your pickles is up to you, but a typical "pickling spice" mixture includes black peppercorns, dill seeds, smashed or sliced garlic cloves, and red pepper flakes if you like some kick. You can either throw the dried spices into the pickling solution, or you can stuff the spice mix into the jars after you've prepared them and before you've inserted the pickles. Either is an effective way of spicing the pickles, but packing an amount in each jar will ensure an even amount of spice in each jar.
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One-sentence summary -- Get some cucumbers. Wash and process the cucumbers. Brine the cucumbers. Mix up your pickling solution. Prepare your pickling spices.


Use a vegetable brush to scrub the yams to remove dirt and roots. Rinse the yams under cool running water. Do not peel them yet; you will do that after you cook them. Because of this, it's important that the yams are clean.  Take a look at the yams to make sure they are fresh. Use a paring knife to slice off any bruised or black spots. Leaving the peels on will help the yams cook evenly while keeping the flesh intact. If you'd prefer to peel the yams first, your candied yams will taste delicious but won't have a firm texture. Use a large pot big enough to fit all of the yams. Fill the pot with enough cold water to cover the yams by about an inch. Make sure the water is several inches from the rim of the pot, or it will bubble over as the yams cook. Place the pot over high heat and bring the water to a full boil. Boil the yams for about 20 minutes, until you can easily poke into their centers with a fork. The yams should be tender, but not mushy. When the yams are ready, remove them from heat and drain the water from the pot. Keep the pot close by; you will be putting the yams back into the pot later on.  If you're in a hurry, transfer the yams to a cooking rack to cool off. Otherwise, just keep the yams in the pot while you begin making the glaze. When the yams are cool enough to handle, remove the peels with your fingers. They should easily come off in strips. Try to keep the flesh of the yams intact as you peel. Keep going until all of the yams are peeled. Set the yams on a cutting board. Use a paring knife to slice the yams into ¼ to ½ inch (0.64 to 1.27 centimeters) thick discs. The discs should all be the same thickness. The sizes of the discs will vary according to the shape of the yams which taper at the ends. Keep the pot covered, so that the yams don't dry out or lose color. You will be mixing the glaze into the yams later.
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One-sentence summary --
Scrub the yams. Place them in a pot and cover with water. Boil the yams until they are tender. Drain the water and keep the pot on hand. Peel the yams. Slice the yams into discs. Place the sliced yams back into the pot.