I have an abundance of dill growing in my garden and I was searching online trying to find ways to use it.  I found myself, of course, on Pinterest where I came across this recipe for refrigerator pickles on An Edible Mosaic’s food blog.  I had never “preserved” anything before so I was reluctant to try it out.  I am SO glad I did.  These pickles were easy (did not have to go through an entire canning process) and they were delicious 🙂  I cannot wait to try pickling beets!

Here is the recipe (and pictures of my pickles!)

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Yield: 1 liter jar of pickles

 Ingredients

1 3/4 cups (415 ml) water
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (90 ml) distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon sea salt flakes
1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns
5 whole juniper berries
3 whole allspice berries
3 cloves garlic, peeled

7-10 Kirby cucumbers (also called Pickling cucumbers) cucumbers (about 625 to 675 g), washed and ends slightly trimmed
1/2 oz (15 g) fresh dill leaves (on the stem), rinsed (optional; this not only increases the dill flavor, but is also there for looks)
1 teaspoon dill seed (see note below)
Purified water, as necessary

Instructions

1. Add 1 3/4 cups water, the vinegar, and the salt to a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the salt, and then turn off heat. Add the peppercorns, juniper berries, and allspice berries and cool to room temperature. (Or for less pronounced flavors, add the spices to the liquid once it’s already cooled.)
2. Meanwhile, sterilize a 1-liter glass jar.
3. Cut the cucumbers into spears by cutting them in half lengthwise, and then cutting each half lengthwise into 2 or 3 equal pieces, depending how large you like your pickles.
4. Put 2 cloves of garlic in the bottom of the jar. Add the cucumber spears and fresh dill (if using), and then add the remaining garlic and the dill seed on top.
5. Pour in the vinegar mixture (with the spices), then add enough purified water so that the cucumbers are completely covered, leaving about 1 inch of free space at the top.
6. Cover the jar and store refrigerated for 48 hours before eating. Stored in the fridge, these pickles will keep for up to a couple weeks.