made at home: garlic dill refrigerator pickles

Garlic Dill Pickles

• 3-4 small/average sized firm cucumbers 
• 2 1/2 cups of cold water
• 2 1/4 cup of rice vinegar 
• 1 tablespoon of ground bay leaves
• 2 tablespoon of pepper corn
• 5 cloves of garlic 
• 3 teaspoons of kosher salt 
• fresh dill to taste 

   Finely cut the cucumbers and place them into a container full of ice and cold water for thirty minutes in the refrigerator. Using a medium sized pan, place all of the other ingredients and bring to a boil on the stove-top  After bringing to a boil, simmer for about five minutes. Bring the cucumbers out, drain, and place into jars with some room between the lid and the top of the ingredients  Pour the mixture over the cucumbers, let cool, and then place in the fridge to store. Eat within a couple of weeks. 

(*This brine can also be used for pickling many other vegetables!) 

   Ever since I started making my own pickles this summer, I can't bring myself to purchase a store-boughten jar of them. There is something so amazing about the taste of homemade pickled cucumbers, the freshness, and the smell of the dill throughout your home. I eat pickles like crazy, as the same as I do cucumbers even without being pickled, and I place these on everything.. even just for a snack. Summer is coming to a close end, but gather up those pickles from your garden, your friend's garden, or the farmer's market before the season is gone. Enjoy some pickling!