My name is Ashley and I am a pickle-holic.
I love pickles and have since I was a little girl. One of my mom's favorite stories about me as a child was that I would always as for pickles in the morning. The story always involves me requesting "one puckle" and then after getting my treat saying "two puckle, mommy two". I would probably still do this, but now as an adult can eat the entire jar if I wanted to...heheh....
Our farmer's market has been bursting with cucumber and I found the perfect bag a few weeks ago to make my refrigerator dill pickles. I like to use smaller cucumbers (sometimes called kirby cucumbers) and halve them when I make pickles. I find that larger pickles tend to take longer and sometimes do not full get the garlic dill flavor. I like pickles that are salty and have a strong dill flavor. The ingredient list below can be modified to fit whatever you prefer in you pickle profile. I also like to use a big glass bowl over individual jars to create a "pickle pot" of such.
In our house, Kellen and I are the pickle lovers. Ron likes pickles, but it's as in love as Kellen and I. One of my favorite things to do with him after I get home from work is to sit on the couch and share a pickle together. The first time he asked for "more pickle mama" I was so happy. Another favorite we have found this summer is pickles on a stick from the different fairs. I think sharing might die next year because we will both was our own!
I love this recipe because the pickles
Ingredients
3 1/2 - 4 lb pickling or kirby cucumbers, halved
5 cups water
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 Tbl sugar
2 1/2-3 Tbl salt
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
5-6 head of fresh dill
1 1/2 Tbl peppercorns
4 quart container with lid (I use Pyrex, but you could use individual jars as well)
Instructions
Add water, vinegar, sugar, and sea salt to a saucepan and boil over high heat. Remove saucepan from heat and cool completely.
Combine cucumbers, garlic cloves, peppercorns and fresh dill in a 4 quart container. Pour cooled vinegar mixture over cucumber mixture. Seal container with lid and refrigerate 3-5 days before serving. Pickles should last 6-8 weeks.