Pickles!

Twelve cucumber plants might have been a few too many. We tried our best to eat them or give them away. We made cucumber salsa, cucumber salad and frankly we were getting a little tired of cucumbers.

Next best thing to make with cucumbers? Pickles!

We chose to make refrigerator pickles instead of the traditional canning method. This website describes the different ways to make pickles and all the equipment that is required.

First you will need some mason jars. Be sure to clean them well. We tossed them into the dishwasher without any detergent and ran the hot water cycle. 

We prepared the cucumbers by slicing them into spears and trimming them into lengths that fit the jars (with a bit of room for the brine to cover over top).

For the brine, you can come up with alot of different recipes. A quick Google search will come up with over 90 recipes easily. Some places will even sell you a pre-made mix. You just have to decide what kind of pickles you want.  We made a relatively sweet dill pickle recipe with dill, onions, mustard seeds, sugar, and white vinegar. Simmer the brine before pouring them into the jars.

While the brine simmers, pack the mason jars with cucumber spears.

Pack them fairly tight, but with enough room to let the slivers of onion and dill to slip between them.

Pour the brine just over the tops of the pickles, but be sure there is a small gap between the liquid and the cap. Seal tight and refrigerate for at least one day.

Then, enjoy some yummy crispy pickles! These definitely were a hit with my coworkers. They worked their way through at least five jars!