Salt-cured Half-sour Summer Pickles

2 pounds (about 2 quarts) fresh, firm, unblemished pickling cucumbers3 cloves garlic, peeled3 sprigs fresh dill (or 3 fresh heads of dill weed)2-4 hot chilies, fresh or dried, slit on one side4 cups water2 tablespoons pickling salt1 tablespoon dill seeds1 tablespoon pickling spice (see recipe below)Wash cucumbers and slice each one almost all the way through lengthwise. If cucumbers are large, slice one more time.Place garlic, dill and chilies in a 2-quart glass jar or slow cooker. Slip cucumbers into the jar so they stand up, side by side.In a saucepan, heat water until lukewarm, add pickling salt and stir until dissolved. Add dill seeds and pickling spice and pour over cucumbers until they are totally submerged.Cover with a cheesecloth and let ferment at room temperature, about 68 degrees.Check pickles daily and scrape off any scum that may form on top of the liquid. After three days, start testing pickles. The cucumbers will turn translucent and half-sour with a pleasing fermenting scent. As soon as they are sour enough for your taste, but still crisp, cover the jar and refrigerate. They keep in the refrigerator for two to three weeks.Cook's note: Before you undertake this pickling process, be sure you have a place to ferment the cucumbers as close to the ideal temperature of 68 degrees as possible. Pickling will still be good if 5 degrees cooler or warmer. (Below 50 degrees, fermentation is slow; above 80 degrees, cucumbers ferment too fast and will turn mushy.)