Blue Ribbon Horseradish Pickles

7 cups water

1 ¾ cups white vinegar

1 ¼ cups white sugar

1 teaspoon whole pickling spices

5 tablespoons pickling salt

10 cloves garlic, peeled

10 (1/4 inch x 3 inch) strips peeled fresh horseradish root

40 small pickling cucumbers

Soak the cucumbers in ice cold water for 2 to 3 hours.

Sterilize 5 (1 quart) jars with lids and rings and keep hot.

In a large pot, combine the water, vinegar, sugar and pickling spices. Stir to dissolve sugar and bring to a boil.

While the mixture is heating up, place the following things into each jar: 1 tablespoon of salt, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 strips of horseradish, and a few sprigs of dill. Trim the ends from the cucumbers and make a slit in the skin of each one so the brine can soak in and any air can get out. Pack the cucumbers into the jars. Pour the boiling brine into the jars to within 1/2 inch of the rims. Seal with lids and rings.

Bring the water to a boil in the pot where you sterilized the jars. Place the jars into the water and turn off the heat. Let them sit in there until the water is cool. Test the jars for a good seal by pressing on the center of the lid. Refrigerate any unsealed jars.