Easy Dill Pickles
These quick refrigerator pickles are a great way to use up all your garden cucumbers. No canning necessary!
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 2 tbsp sea salt
- 2 cucumbers
- 1 dill head
- 1 garlic clove
- 10 whole peppercorns
- 1 quart Mason jar
Instructions
- Make the brine. Add the water and vinegar to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the salt and stir until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool completely (if brine is hot, it will soften the cucumbers and you want them to be crisp!)
- While the brine is cooling, smash the garlic clove with the side of a chef's knife. Remove the peel and place half of the clove into the bottom of your 1 quart Mason jar.
- Place 10 whole peppercorns onto a cutting board and press them with the side of a chef's knife or the back of a spoon to roughly crush. Place half of the pieces into the bottom of the Mason jar.
- Next add the dill head, with the head down, into the Mason jar.
- Cut the ends off of the cucumbers (removing the ends will help prevent the pickles from spoiling). Slice the cucumbers in half width wise, then cut each half lengthwise into spears. Pack the spears vertically into the jar as tightly as you can. Any remaining spears can be stuffed in the top of the jar or cut into smaller pieces and placed on top.
- Add the remaining half of the garlic clove and peppercorns to the top of the jar.
- Pour the cooled brine over the top of the cucumbers, making sure to cover the entire contents of the jar completely by at least a half inch.
- Seal the jar and place in the refrigerator. Let sit for at least 24 hours and preferably several days before opening. The longer they sit, the better the flavor. The pickles will be good in the refrigerator up to 8 weeks.
Notes
If you like spicy pickles, add an additional garlic clove and some red pepper flakes. Try subbing carrots, kohlrabi, or green beans in place of the cucumbers. Almost any vegetable tastes great pickled!