Pickles, salty snacks and a good filling for a burger or hotdog, are actually pretty easy to make. This simple recipe will turn an average cucumber into a sour, salty pickle.

Before beginning to make the pickle, it may be important to know why cucumbers become pickles. The process of turning a cucumber into a pickle is called pickling. The pickle is put in salt water or an acid-based liquid. According to Martha Stewart, when submerging the cucumber in an acid-like liquid, saline, or brine, the vegetable begins to ferment. In the brine, lactic acid bacteria grow. These bacteria are what give the pickle a salty taste.

The following recipe is based off of a recipe on The Washington Post

Ingredients Needed:

1 medium-sized jar

3 medium or small pickling cucumbers

2 ⅕ cups of water

1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt

3 garlic scapes (optional)

1 fresh or dried dill seed head (optional)

¼ jalapeño pepper cut into thin slices (optional)

½ tablespoons whole black peppercorns (optional)

Note: Don’t use all optional ingredients in one jar.

Directions

1. Fill a bowl with cold ice water. Put cucumbers in and mix them around to remove any dirt. Let them sit for 30 minutes to clear out any dirt or oils. After that, scrub away any extra oils.

2. Mix together water and salt in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Mix until salt is dissolved. Put it to the side to cool completely. This will be the main saline the pickles sit in.

3. (Optional) If using any additional flavoring ingredients, (peppercorns, jalapeño pepper, dill seeds, garlic scapes) place them in the bottom of the jar.

4. Grab the clean cucumbers and cut the tip off each end. Cut them into quarters vertically (optional). Place two cucumbers in the saline water jars, pointed up, and the third laying across the top of the others, this will keep them in the saline water and stop them from floating up.

5. Put the jar in a pan or dish to catch any spillage before pouring saline over the cucumbers then screw on the lid lightly.

6. Place the pickles out of reach of the sun. Let it sit for three days, each day unscrewing the lid to let the jar “burp” then screw it back on. Cloud water and bubbles should start to form.

7. Check the pickles after three days by cutting off a small piece and tasting it. If it isn’t sour enough, let them ferment for a little longer, tasting them everyday. A week should be enough.

8. After three days, (or up to a week and a half), screw the cap on tightly and put the pickles in the refrigerator for at most a month. Enjoy!