Something happened to me when I was pregnant, which was that I turned into the opposite of a pregnant person and stopped eating pickles.
Not pregnant? Loved pickles.
Pregnant? Nahhh.
Just to make you understand how completely bizarre this was for me, when I was in elementary school I used to stop off at the deli across the street from our house on the way home every day and buy one of those jumbo pickles sitting in a jar on top of the counter, then go home, pour salt into a bowl, and dip the pickle into the salt before eating it.
I dipped pickles into salt.
Every. Day.
Anyway, I don’t know what happened, but pregnancy ruined me for pickles, because I didn’t eat them when I was pregnant, and I still don’t. They just don’t hold a ton of appeal anymore. (Or maybe it’s that I reached my Lifetime Quota For Salt after the deli pickle problem.)
Except?
THESE.
These I will eat.
I will eat them ALL.
(Oh yes, and did I mention I made them myself in about five minutes? Did.)
REFRIGERATOR PICKLES (makes about two jars)
What You Need:
- 5-7 mini cucumbers, quartered lengthwise (ideally you want firm, dark green ones with lots of warts; skip any with white or yellow patches, since those are overripe and will have too many seeds)
- 3 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup salt
- 6-8 crushed garlic cloves (peel them, and then give each one a good smash with a rolling pin; fun stuff)
- 1 small Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp peppercorns
- A handful of fresh dill
- A couple of bay leaves
What You Do:
1. If you want to sterilize the jars you’re using to store the pickles, place the jars and lids in boiling water for a couple of minutes.
2. In a saucepan, combine water, vinegar, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil and let boil gently for a couple of minutes, then remove from heat.
3. Pack the cucumber spears, garlic cloves, onion, peppercorns, dill, and bay leaves into your jars, then pour over the liquid.
4. Let the pickles sit about 24 hours before eating (they’ll get stronger the longer you let them sit, and will last about a week).
