
This is one of our absolute favorite pickle recipes. I make them year round, using pickling cucumbers during the growing season and English cucumbers during the winter months. Recently, I started adding a mild spicy pepper to the jar for an added kick. When making pub burgers, potato salad, or a vegetable tray, these pickles are always a great accompaniment to the dish.

Garlic & Dill Refrigerator Pickles
Note: The ingredient amounts listed in this recipe are for a single one quart jar. Make as many quarts as you like by doubling or tripling ingredient amounts to fit your need.
3-5 pickling cucumbers or 1-2 English cucumbers per jar
1 mild flavored pepper, sliced
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup vinegar
1/4 teaspoon mustard seed
1/4 teaspoon whole allspice
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon dill seed
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon whole pepper corns
2 crushed fresh garlic cloves
Several small sprigs of fresh dill – to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Prepare jars by washing in warm soapy water. Also, wash rings and bands; let air dry.
In a medium saucepan combine water, vinegar, salt, and sugar. Heat on high, stirring until salt and sugar are completely dissolved. Turn off heat; cool completely.
To prepare cucumbers; wash, trim ends, and slice to desired size. Crush garlic and add to jars with dried spices and fresh dill. Firmly pack cucumbers and pepper slices into jars, leaving about an inch of headspace.
Add cooled liquid to jars until the spaces surrounding the cucumbers are filled, leaving 1 inch head space. Place the jars in the refrigerator and let sit for 5 to 7 days; each day giving the jars a light shake to redistribute the spices. After 7 days, enjoy the crispy crunch of these delicious pickles. These will keep in the refrigerator for up to a month.
I was pleasantly surprised this week when a co-worker brought in a big bag of freshly picked pickling cucumbers and plopped them on the break room table. She announced that the cucumbers were from her father’s garden and that anyone was welcome to take as many as they liked. Straight away, I scooped up a good majority of the pickles and packed them away for one of my favorite summer projects. When I returned home from work that evening, I began the task at hand, slicing the veggies for my refreshing refrigerator pickles.