“Refrigerator Dill Pickles”

Recently, my sister and I were talking about home canning. I reminded my sister about the dill pickles Dad would make for me. Like my sweet pickles, I wanted a quick recipe and one that did not require the week-long pickling process. I finally came up with a recipe, Refrigerator Dill Pickles. The difference between mine and my Dad’s is his were whole pickles and mine are slices. White vinegar and dill give these pickles their great flavor with plenty of crunchy, crispness. For my recipe, I used dried dill. If you don’t like the dried dill floating around then use fresh dill. These pickles are perfect for sandwiches and burgers. You don’t believe me, try them for yourself. So, start pickling and share Refrigerator Dill Pickles at your next barbecue or serve as an appetizer at your next get-together. Hey, pop open the jar and have a snack.

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

2 pounds pickling cucumbers, sliced

3 cups water

1 1/2 cups white vinegar

1 T. sugar

1 T. kosher salt

1 t. red pepper flakes

2 large garlic cloves, sliced in half

2 T. dried dill or 2 heads of fresh dill

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine water, vinegar, sugar, kosher salt, red pepper flakes and garlic. Sugar and salt should be completely dissolved. Remove from heat and add dill.

Place sliced cucumbers in a large glass mixing bowl. Pour vinegar mixture over cucumbers. Using a wide mouth canning jar or other large jar, pack cucumbers to top. Once jar is filled, ladle in vinegar mixture to the top. Insert butter knife down sides of jar to ensure there are no air bubbles in the jar. Place lid on jar and shake several times. Place jar in refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Three days is better for these pickles to reach their maximum flavor. Shake jar daily until maximum or desired flavor is reached.

Pickles will keep up to 1 month if they last that long. Enjoy!