Pickles and Dressing

I get super excited every year when my cucumbers start growing, because I know that means I get to make pickles soon! I never liked pickles when I was a kid, but now I adore a crunchy dill pickle on a sandwich, burger or just by itself. The easiest pickles ever are Refrigerator Pickles, and I have my recipe below.

3-4 Pickling Cucumbers

5 Stems of fresh dill

1/2 teaspoon dill seeds

1 tablespoon pickling or kosher salt

1/2 tablespoon sugar

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 garlic cloves

Slice cucumbers however you like; spears, slices, chips. Place them in mason jars.

Bring all of the other ingredients to a boil on stovetop and then reduce to simmer. Let simmer 5 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool. Pour over the cucumbers in the jars and top with lids. Keep in refrigerator for at least 24 hours before eating so they can get a really good pickle on! They are good in the fridge for up to 2 months.

*Sometimes I play around with this basic recipe and swap out different vinegars and sugars, and I frequently add crushed red pepper.* I also do the same recipe with fresh jalapenos except I leave out the dill.*

I also love making my own salad dressing, and this one is great on just about any kind of salad. I make up a batch at the beginning of the week to top my lunchtime salads.

Honey Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette

Juice of 2 lemons

One small shallot, diced

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Mix all ingredients together in mason jar and shake vigorously. Done.