Quick Refrigerator Pickles (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Sweet and Spicy Twist

01 - 6 small Persian or pickling cucumbers, cut off the ends (smaller ones are ideal!)
02 - 1½ cups of clear white vinegar
03 - ½ cup tap water
04 - 1 tablespoon black peppercorns (whole, not ground!)
05 - 1 tablespoon mustard seeds, any color works
06 - ¼ cup thin-sliced white onions
07 - ½ cup white sugar
08 - 4-5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
09 - 1 tablespoon kosher salt (skip table salt)
10 - 1-3 red Thai chilies, depending on your spice level

→ Classic Dill Blend

11 - 6 Persian or pickling cucumbers, ends removed
12 - 1 tablespoon kosher salt
13 - 1½ cups vinegar (distilled white variety)
14 - ½ cup water from the tap
15 - 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
16 - 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
17 - 1 teaspoon celery seeds (optional, but adds a nice touch)
18 - 1 tablespoon dried dill or a handful of fresh sprigs
19 - 1 bay leaf
20 - 4 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly smashed
21 - ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or double if you love heat)
22 - 1 tablespoon sugar (just enough to soften the tang)

# Instructions:

01 - Give your cucumbers a rinse under cold water. Slice off the ends—they can be bitter. For the sweet one, cut them into thin rounds, about ¼ inch thick. For the dill style, slice each cucumber into spears, 2-4 per cucumber depending on their size. Set these aside for now.
02 - For the sweet and spicy option, toss your water, clear vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, black peppercorns, and chilies into a medium pan. Stir it together and gently heat it on medium-high until everything’s dissolved—just a few minutes will do. Take the pan off the heat and let it completely cool down. Cooling keeps the cucumbers crispy.
03 - For the dill version, combine water, vinegar, mustard seeds, salt, sugar, peppercorns, and optional celery seeds in your pan. Heat on medium and stir until it’s dissolved. Pull the pan off the heat and wait for it to cool to room temperature. Cooling makes for better crunch!
04 - While waiting for the brine to cool, grab clean jars (a few pint jars or two quart-sized ones). Pack in the cucumbers. For sweet pickles, toss in chopped garlic and onions too. For dill spears, add smashed garlic, a bay leaf, dill, and red pepper bits. Spread the extras around for good flavor distribution.
05 - Pour the cool brine over the veggies in each jar, making sure everything is covered. Press them down if they pop up. Leave a little room—around ¼ inch—at the top. Let the jars hang out open for a few minutes to release air bubbles.
06 - Pop a lid on the jars and stick them in the fridge. They need a couple of days for the flavors to kick in, so try not to snack too early. These stay good for 3-4 months in the fridge, but they’ll taste better and better as the days go by.

# Notes:

01 - These are fridge pickles, not shelf-safe ones, so make sure to chill them.
02 - The crunchier Persian pickling cucumbers are best—they’ve got fewer seeds too.
03 - The sweet-spicy kind is great for burgers, while the dill spears are a snack or sandwich sidekick.
04 - Feel free to tweak the spices—experimenting is half the fun!

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