Homemade Pickles!

I've mentioned the bounty of cucumbers that we've gotten from our garden (28 at last count), and, besides the few we've given away, I've been trying to use them all. Of course, you can't really cook or freeze cucumbers, so besides eating lots and lots of them raw, we decided to try homemade pickles!

I have never learned how to can, so I knew I wanted a recipe for refrigerator pickles. Also, my husband (and I) are extremely opposed to sweet pickles, so we definitely wanted a sour recipe! As usual, All Recipes came through for me with this recipe for Spicy Refrigerator Dill Pickles.

I have now made the recipe three times, and we are extremely pleased with the results! Homemade pickles taste so fresh and pungent compared to the store-bought shelf-stable kind. Also, this was a great way to use some of our cucumbers that turned out a little bitter - you can't tell at all once they are pickles.

I don't really have "making of" pictures, because the directions are very simple and self-explanatory. You basically just mix everything together, let it all sit for three hours, and put it in the fridge in jars. (I also used Rubbermaid containers in a pinch.) The one recipe note I would make is that if, like us, you don't want your pickles to have even a hint of sweetness, I would advise completely eliminating the sugar, as many of the recipe commenters advise. I have now tried the recipe three times, reducing the sugar each time, and I think we are happiest without it.

The recipe says that these pickles will keep for a month in the refrigerator, but I think we might have trouble keeping them around that long!

See more great ideas for DIY projects at A Soft Place to Land.