Investment Cooking - Refrigerator Pickles

 

Yum!  I love a good homemade pickle and when I got cucumber bombed with a bag left on my doorknob by an anonymous neighbor I knew right away I wanted to pickle them.

 

Gotta have some fresh garlic

I began by selecting two clean quart jars and slicing these cucumbers into thick slices.  Then I packed them into the jars about halfway.  I added a tablespoon of pickling spice and a teaspoon of dillweed to each jar.  Next I peeled and added 3 whole cloves of garlic to each jar.  Then I filled the jars the rest of the way up with sliced cucumbers making sure I got them well packed in with no big gaps.

 

Pickling spice

In the microwave I boiled a cup of water and then added a teaspoon of salt and ½ a cup of apple cider vinegar stirring it together until the salt was thoroughly dissolved.  I added that to a quart jar and then repeated this step again for the other.  Then I added a lid and once the brine had cooled I placed both jars into the refrigerator to sit for at least two weeks.

 

I think I'll pickle some peppers next 😋

Just like that I preserved myself two quarts of salty, garlicky, dill pickles.  I can hardly wait to try them.  They should last in the refrigerator for a few months (not likely, they’ll be eaten up before then) but you can also use canning lids and water bath process them for 10 minutes to make them shelf stable, if you like.  If you want a sweeter pickle, you can also add 2 tablespoons of sugar to each recipe of brine.  This is also a great brine to use for pickling peppers and onions.  Are you going to make any pickles this summer?