Quick(ish) Garlic Dill Pickles

I love pickles.  I always have & probably always will.  A few years ago, my husband decided that he wanted to start pickling and bought a ton of pickling ingredients.  He tried a couple batches (I think 2, maybe 3) but they never turned out quite right.  After that, he just gave up and the pickling ingredients have been sitting in our pantry.  A few weeks ago I had some extra zucchinis that I didn't want to go bad, so I decided to pickle them.  I found a recipe online and tested it out.  They were good, but not quite where I wanted them to be, so I decided to try again.  This time I did spears and rounds of both carrots and Persian cucumbers.  I liked the rounds of both veggies better - the flavors seemed to penetrate better even after a few days - but you can make them in whatever shape your heart desires.  Now that I've got the brine down, I figured I would share it.  Next time, I hope to find some good chilies to add so I can make a spicy pickle too.

Oh, and I called these quick(ish) pickles because they do need about 3 days to marinate in the brine before they're ready.  Still faster than the type of pickles that take a couple of weeks to brine, but not an immediate pickle.

Total Time: 72 hours

Servings: 4, 16oz mason jars

Ingredients:

6-8 medium persian cucumbers, sliced

1 1/2 cups white vinegar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3 cups water

2 1/2 tbs salt

8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

3 tsp mustard seed

2 tsp dill seed

1 tbs whole black peppercorns

8 sprigs fresh dill

Instructions:

1. Divide the sliced cucumbers and fresh dill evenly between 4 mason jars.
2. Add remaining ingredients to a medium pot and bring to a boil.  Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
3. Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumbers, ensuring you get an even amount of spices in each jar.
4. Allow to refrigerate for 72 hours before enjoying.

I pickled some carrots too (because why not) and found that they needed a little extra time in the brine before they were ready.  Just like the cucumbers, the rounds were ready faster than the spears.  You could definitely make this recipe with carrots, but I preferred the pickles.  I may try some other veggies in the future too, so stay tuned!