Making Pickles

Our garden has grown with abundance this year. We grew rows of squash, zucchini, cucumbers, watermelon, peppers and tomatoes. Before we headed out of town for vacation we were overwhelmed by the number of cucumbers that seemed to grow overnight. We gave away many bags full of fresh vegetables to our neighbors, friends and even a few of our feed truck drivers but I needed a quick way to pickle some of the cucumbers. I have canned with my Mom in the past but just did not have time in this instance. Therefore, I set out to try refrigerator pickles for the first time, using the recipe below:

• 2/3 cup of distilled white vinegar

• 1/3 cup water

• 1 1/4 tsp. of salt

• 3 tbsp. of sugar

• 2 gloves of garlic whole

• 1 tsp. peppercorns

• A pinch of red pepper

• 3 dill sprigs

• Cucumbers cut into spears

I cut up the cucumbers, combined all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and covered them with my new reusable bees wax paper. I added a little extra vinegar because I like the tartness. I also had to double the recipe several times because we had so many cucumbers. Simply refrigerate for a few days and enjoy! We tried a few the other day and they were a hit with the entire family, so I plan to use this easy recipe in the future.