I did a search on the web and found this. Check several sites and they seem to pretty much be all the same.
Hope this helps.
Deanna

HOMEMADE PICKLING SPICE
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Spices
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 tb Mustard Seed
1 tb Whole Allspice
2 ts Coriander Seeds
2 Whole Cloves
1 t Ground Ginger
1 t Dried Red Pepper Flakes
1 Bay Leaf, crumbled
1 Cinnamon Stick (2 inches)
Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight jar
or container. Use in favorite pickle recipes.

Yield: 1/3 Cup

I just buy regular pickling spices in the bulk food section at the grocery store.
The dill pickles I make don't have any pickling spices. Just the sweet pickles.

It's really a case of experimenting to see what you like. Here's a recipe that's as old as the hills, but it's good to use as a starting point.

Pickling Vinegar
1 litre white vinegar
1 cup sugar (or less to taste)
1 teaspoon salt

Mix ingredients together and bring to the boil. Add any spices, such as peppercorns, cloves, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon mixed spice and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. If you add the spices, let mixture boil for an extra 10 minutes. Strain and allow to cool before use. (Never use iodised salt for pickling, use plain salt, sea salt or pickling salt.) Before pickling, vegetables should be left to stand in a brine solution of about 3-5% salt to water. Use jars with plastic or glass lids instead of metal, unless lids are protected from acid reaction with several layers of greaseproof paper. Vegetables suitable for pickling are: beetroot, cabbage, cucumber, onions, peas, shallots, red cabbage, walnuts, zucchini.

not sure if my 1st message went through. I hadnt registered yet, so was directed to other page- sorry if this is dupt

what is the deal with waxed paper? I have never, in my 43 years of canning, nor has my mom or grandmother EVER used waxed paper to prevent pickeled beets from touching the lid....... and have never had a problem ....
if you follow the directions correctly, there would be enough headroom to prevent them from touching the top.....

whats the scoop? :)

happy fall (UGH! Where did summer go??????????)

As Daisy said, it's a recipe that's "old as the hills", coming from a time when the current acid-resistant two-piece lids were not in use. There are lots of European and Southern Hemisphere recipes that refer to waxed disks of paper used atop various preserves.

I think her point was the pickling brine itself, not so much the instructions.

Carol

Pickling spices are a blend of red pepper, coriander, dill, mustard seed, celery seed, peppercorns, allspice, ginger, and even cinnamon. For a dill pickle, all these are not suitable. You would only use dill weed and dill seeds, as well as some garlic if your making dill pickles. The pickling spice mixes vary quite a lot, but most usually contain more mustard seeds than any other spices. I use a similar mixture when rubbing the outside of a brine cured beef, to make it into pastrami. The spice mixes are usually for sweet mixed pickles and maybe a few other kinds like pickled beets. My mom used the mixes when making green tomato piccalilli, with cider vinegar and brown sugar.