Homemade Pickles

I have always wanted to try making homemade dill pickles but had held off because of the pain of having to sterilize and process all the jars.  It just seemed like too tedious a task.  So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I picked up the summer edition of Western Living magazine and found a recipe for refrigerator pickles that don't require any prep or processing of the jars!

The recipe is super simple and makes just one perfect jar, feel free to double or triple as necessary as I did.  The pickles turned out great in the end, they were a tad salty so I think I'll adjust the amount of salt down the next time but all in all a tasty treat!

Here's the recipe if you want to try them yourself:

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

5-6 Japanese Cukes
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 sweet onion (like Walla Walla) thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, smashed
6 sprigs fresh dill
12 whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup kosher salt (I'm going to use half this much next time!)
1 cup warm water

Clean a 1 quart jar with a tight fitting lid.  Pack cucumbers into jar lengthwise.  In a bowl, mix other ingredients and stir to dissolve salt, then pour into jar over pickles, top up any gaps with water.  With a clean fork, push dill sprigs and bay leaf down centre and sides.  Refrigerate overnight and serve after 1-2 days.  Keep refrigerated and use within 10 days.