Refrigerator Pickles

Refrigerator Pickles, originally uploaded by *April*.

We have a community supported agriculture ("CSA") share this summer from Fat Blossom Farm, a farm in Allegan, MI.

It's been nice to pick up our share every week, but we have far more cucumbers than I can ever imagine eating.

I used some dill we had growing in the garden and made up some refrigerator pickles today.

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
* 1 tablespoon sea salt
* 1 cup white sugar
* 6 cups sliced cucumbers

Other adds (vary depending on personal taste)

• sliced green bell peppers or sweet onions (such as vidalia or 1046)
• minced garlic (1 heaping tablespoon per quart jar)
• peppercorns (I used a mixture of pink and black tellicherry)
• fresh dill and yellow dill flowers
• mustard seed
• celery seed

I made a couple of quarts tonight - and in each I slightly varied what I included, whole peppercorns, red pepper flakes, garlic, fresh dill and dill flowers, mustard seeds, celery seed, etc.

A word of caution, if you use freshly sliced garlic it may turn bluish or purple. It's still safe to eat, but is due to a chemical reaction in the garlic with the high acidity of the vinegar.

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring vinegar, salt and sugar to a boil. Boil until the sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes.
2. Using a mandoline or a food processor, slice washed cucumbers about 1/4 inch thick. Place the cucumbers in a non-metallic bowl. Pour vinegar, salt and sugar mixture over the cucumbers. Transfer to sterile containers and store in the refrigerator. A word of caution - if you use a plastic container, it will always smell fragrantly of pickles!

Let sit at least 5 days, but will keep for longer than that - assuming you resist the urge to eat them!