Refrigerator Pickles

When it gets hot I love to eat cucumber salad. Normally my favorite way to eat them is with seasoned rice wine vinegar, salt, fresh pepper and fresh dill. Last summer I tried something new and have been craving them ever since.

You got refrigerator pickles! I first tried the recipe from the Sara Foster Fresh Everyday cookbook and have adapted it slightly (I made notes below) to our tastes and they're SO good. They are sour, spicy and sweet all at the same time, perfect for cooling off in the summer. Honestly I can't get enough. I made some yesterday and I can't stop eating them. I thought I would share the recipe so you can all share in my pickley goodness.

Fridge Pickles

makes about 1 quart

1 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 whole cloves

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I use about 1/4 so they're not too spicy for the kids)

1 teaspoon dill seed

4 to 5 small kirby (pickling) cucumbers, peeled in stripes and sliced into 1/8 inch thick rounds

1 small white onion, thinly sliced into rounds (I tend to go a little light on the onion. They get in the way of my pickles!)

Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, black pepper, cloves, bay leaves, red pepper flakes and dill seed in a quart jar. Place the lid on the jar and shake until the sugar has dissolved.

Layer the cucumbers and onion in the jar using a wooden spoon to press them tightly into the jar. Place the lid on the jar, shake it well and refrigerate at least 4 hours, shaking the jar occasionally to keep the ingredients mixed. These pickles will keep in the refrigerator for at least one month.