When my CSA gave us “pickling cucumbers” last week I figured they’d end up in the compost. What did I know about pickling? I imagined it required special apparatus and actual canning. But then I learned that making pickles is easier than making a sandwich and takes about five minutes!
All you have to do is boil enough vinegar to cover the sliced cucumbers in the jar (I use white vinegar, some use apple cider vinegar). Add to the boiling vinegar some basic pickling spices like dill, bay leaves, garlic, mustard seed, salt, and sugar. You can even spice them up with peppers and chiles, which are not for me. Pour the simmering liquid over the cucumbers sliced anyway you prefer, stick in the fridge for a couple hours, and voila! Seriously delicious.
Kirby cucumbers (the small, fat ones) work best, but when I couldn’t find them organic I used regular cucumbers and……
Here is the super quick and easy recipe I follow from The Food Network.