Pickles, Kinda, Sorta

Total Time: 3 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 3 hrs Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 2 lbs unpeeled cucumbers, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
• 2 large onions, cut into 1 inch cubes and separated into pieces
• 4 -8 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
• 1 -2 tablespoon kosher salt (definitely not iodized)
• 1 -2 small fresh hot pepper, seeded and quartered,or sliced and unseeded if you want it hot,or something in between
• 1 tablespoon dried dill weed, lightly crushed (about; more or less, as desired)
• 1 1/2 cups vinegar (i used 1 cup , â½ cup cider, or maybe try all cider or all wine vinegar)
• 1 cup sugar (more or less to taste; we us much less. about 1/4 cup)
• 2 teaspoons pickling spices (remove about half of the cloves)
• 1 teaspoon dill seed

Recipe

• 1 combine cucumbers, onions, garlic, peppers, and salt in a medium bowl.
• 2 allow to set for 1 hour, tossing occasionally.
• 3 pour off accumulated liquid, and sprinkle with dill weed, tossing as you add the dill.
• 4 allow to set for 1-2 more hours, tossing occasionally.
• 5 transfer to colander to drain for 5 minutes.
• 6 taste, and if too salty to your taste, rinse and allow to drain for another 5 minutes.
• 7 add a little more dill weed, to taste.
• 8 the cucumbers are quite edible at this point.
• 9 if you want, you can stop right now and start to munch.
• 10 tastes good!
• 11 we have tried it!
• 12 while the veggies are marinating, combine vinegar, sugar, pickling spice and dill seed in a small sauce pan over low-medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
• 13 continue to simmer until you are almost happy with the intensity of the flavor; don't let the marinade get too strong.
• 14 remove from heat.
• 15 after the veggies have finished draining, return the vinegar mixture to high heat until it just boils.
• 16 strain vinegar mixture onto veggies, and toss thoroughly several times.
• 17 refrigerate in a covered plastic container for at least 24 hours, tossing or shaking occasionally.
• 18 remove the hot peppers if the pickles are getting too hot.
• 19 store in the refrigerator if you are going to use within a few months, or ladle into small plastic freezer containers and freeze.
• 20 to serve, defrost if frozen.
• 21 serve chilled.
• 22 this is good after being frozen, but loses some crunch.
• 23 it will keep for at least a couple months in the fridge, probably more, and the flavor only improves with time.
• 24 tastes kind of like bread and butter pickles, but crisper.
• 25 don't forget to eat the onions and garlic.
• 26 they are not just for seasoning.
• 27 they're good too, real good!
• 28 you might want to add more of them just for eating's sake.