Too Easy Refrigerator Pickles

-10/12 pickling cucumbers depending on size

-4 cups water

-2 cups white vinegar

-2 tablespoons kosher salt

-1 tsp sugar

-Peeled and smashed garlic. I used about 4-5 large cloves for each quart jar.

-Whole peppercorns. About 9 for each quart jar.

-A big, beautiful bunch of fresh dill

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-Boil the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar. Stir so that the salt and sugar are dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

-Cut cucumbers with skin on. I cut them in thick slices so they don’t get too soft in the brine. We like them crisp.

-Pack jars with cucumbers. Add garlic, peppercorns, and fresh dill. Pour brine into each jar making sure all pickles are submerged. I tip the jar to make sure the spices are mixed through. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 6 weeks. Makes about 3-quart jars.

Note: The exact amount of garlic, peppercorns, and dill is up to your taste. I love dill so I use the dried, brown seeds of the flower plus the flower itself. It looks pretty in the jar! 

Tip: The brine is reusable! After we eat all the pickles I just add fresh cucumbers to the brine, and voila! A whole new jar! Enjoy!

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There’s nothing like a good deli sandwich, a cold drink, and a crisp pickle for lunch! Pickles are the perfect accompaniment and always satisfy my salt craving. Homemade pickles in a jar look impressive but as you can see by the recipe, they couldn’t be easier to make. Gathering your jars and lids is the most tedious part of the whole process.

For the last couple of years, I used a packaged mix with spices that you mix with brine. They were good but had a lot of ingredients and preservatives that I couldn’t pronounce. My youngest son was surprised that I didn’t have my own pickle recipe, especially since the mixture in the jars was an unnatural yellow color. 

I searched for a recipe that had simple ingredients. After altering some of the spices, the recipe above is the result. Fresh dill is the key and this recipe is a keeper! As a matter of fact, if you saw my Instagram post a week ago, I kept the dill in a vase in my kitchen. It smelled heavenly! I hope you find this simple recipe enjoyable alongside many sandwiches!