1½ cups white wine vinegar

½ cup water

2 teaspoons honey

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon whole white peppercorns

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon fennel seeds

½ teaspoon toasted cumin seeds

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons dried dill weed

1 teaspoon dried cilantro

2 large cucumbers

• Combine the vinegar, water, honey, pepper flakes, peppercorns, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, and salt in a medium-size nonreactive saucepan over high heat; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside to let cool to room temperature. Add the dill and cilantro.

• Wash the cucumbers, cut them in half horizontally, and then quarter them lengthwise. (Removing the seeds or peeling from the cucumbers is optional.) Place the cucumber sections in a covered container and pour the cooled vinegar mixture over them. Refrigerate, covered, for 24 hours. Use within 1 week.

Have Your Dill

Be creative with either the dilly beans or dill pickle recipe. Convert the dilly bean recipe to a dilled 3-bean salad by adding some cooked white and pinto beans and a little chopped celery. Or, substitute any canned no-salt-added vegetable for the cucumbers in the latter recipe. Chopped fresh bell pepper is good in either recipe, as is sliced or chopped onion. If the dilly beans or dill pickles simply aren't salty enough for your taste, try adding some lemon juice to them before adding any additional salt. If either recipe is too tart for your taste, increase the amount of water in the recipe.