#handcraftededibles ~ Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles

In an effort to make all of our holiday gifts this year, we are sharing recipes for hand-crafted edibles. Over the course of twelve weeks, we'll be sharing recipes that you can make at home to give to friends and loved ones. We hope you'll follow along for inspiration. You can find out more information, including the schedule: here.

This recipe is perfect for those of you who want to dip your toes into the idea of canning, but aren't quite ready to jump in feet first. I cannot say enough good things about this recipe - the ease of preparation and most importantly the final product!

You can use whatever sized jars you have laying around - I used small canning ones (the original recipe calls for 4 1-qt jars. If you use smaller jars, take that into account when adding the ingredients to flavor the pickles. I used about 1 1/2 smallish cloves of garlic per jar, a couple sprigs of fresh dill, a sprinkling of mustard seeds and 3 - 4 peppercorns each. Mine came out DELICIOUS but definitely on the garlicky side. 

I think the fresh dill floating around in these jars is gorgeous. I could just look at these pretty jars all day long. Who wouldn't want to get a gorgeous basket with a couple of these babies packed in them?

The original recipe strongly suggests using pickling cukes - but they were $1.99 EACH as opposed to $0.99 per lb for the regular cucumbers - so I opted for the larger cucumbers! I fit about 1 full cucumber per jar and sliced all of mine into spears. Next batch I'll definitely do some in chips as well for sandwiches... yum.

This is one of those projects that takes a little planning, organizing, getting a few fresh ingredients ready to go and then BAM you have a huge return on your time investment and will make lots of friends quickly with whomever you choose to share the fruits of your labor with.

 

My 2-year old would have eaten an entire jar of these, had I let her. I pulled one out to taste test before writing this blog post... then ate another and another and Lindsey spied the pickle and asked for one. Then she asked for "more pickle?" followed by "more pickle?" and yet again! I think I cut her off after 3 or 4 spears.

Here are all of our pickles...

• Amy's Cooking Adventures jarred her Refrigerator Dill Pickles
• Making Miracles made Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles
• Christmas Tree Lane shared Refrigerator Pickled Brussels Sprouts
• A Day in the Life on the Farm posted Spiced Apples
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla Pickled Radishes

Next week, check back for our recipes to inspire your holiday cheese trays. Think homemade cheese and charcuterie... or anything that would go well on a cheese platter. Don't forget to check out our #handcraftededibles pinterest board.

Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles from The Creekside Cook

Ingredients
2 quarts of water
1 cup white or cider vinegar
½ cup pickling salt
About 3 to 4 pounds of cucumbers
8 large heads of dill, or more if they are smaller
8 medium garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon mustard seed
about 20 black peppercorns

Directions

1. This recipe yields 4-quarts of pickles, so use 4 1-qt jars or enough small jars to equal that amount. These do not have to be canning jars - but whatever jars (with screw on lids) you choose to use, make sure they are clean before prepping your ingredients (I ran mine through the dishwasher and air-dried overnight before starting).
2. Lay your jars out, and make sure you have your fresh ingredients ready to go. In a large pot on the stove, combine the water, vinegar (I used mostly apple cider with a little bit of distilled to equal the full amount), and the pickling salt (I picked mine up at Kroger). Bring to a simmer and stir gently until salt has dissolved. 
3. Meanwhile, while the mixture is heating, wash and cut your cucumbers into desired shapes / sizes (I liked the spears, but would make some chips next time as well). Split the dill and garlic in half, and distribute one half of the dill and garlic amongst your jars. Distribute your cucumbers between the jars as well.
4. Top the cucumbers with the remaining garlic and dill, also distribute the mustard seed and peppercorns between the jars.
5. Make sure to leave space between the top of the cucumbers and the top of the jars so that the brine will be able to fully cover them. When the brine is ready, distribute between your jars, completely covering the cucumbers.
6. Cover with the lids and seal. 
7. Leave the jars out in the counter for 2 or 3 days, and then store in the refrigerator for at least two weeks before opening them (I cheated and opened one jar after about 4 days... mmm...).
8. They will keep well for several months, so long as you keep them refrigerated.