Basic Pickling Spice Blend

I love gardening, but I always end up with a second career during the summer months coming home to make pickles almost every evening.  During COVID, I even had trouble finding pickling spice, so I found a recipe that fills that void.  

1 cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves 

2 Tbsp yellow mustard seeds

1 Tbsp black peppercorns

1 Tbsp dill seeds

1 tsp allspice berries

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

8 whole cloves

In a mortar and pestle, break down the spices and transfer them to a tightly-lidded jar to store.  Use 1 1/2 tsp for pint jars and 1 Tbsp for quart jars.