OOPSIE DOOPSIE

So, I was a nervous nelly about my pickles. I have never canned, pickled, or used mason jars for their intended purpose. This was a HUGE first for me. With a little bit of trial and error, I’m very excited to report positive results!!

I tried Suzanna’s recipe, however I did something wrong. The seasonings were just off and wasn’t sure what happened. {Of course, I know now that I should have just waited longer…} Anyhoo, I decided to start over and make a new batch over the weekend. We finally cracked them open tonight, and they were seriously a m a z i n g. A little bit of crunch, definitely tart and the perfect side for any casual meal {or just as a snack!} … because pickles make everything better.

A true test of success? My soon-to-be-two year old daughter enjoyed them. So, I’ve got that going for me. If you are interested in trying this out, I recommend this recipe. Here is what I did…

Ingredients

// 1 large cucumber
// 1.5 c water
//.5 c apple cider vinegar
// 1 c white distilled vinegar
// 1 Tbl salt
// Dill
// 2 cloves of garlic, minced
// 2 mason jars

Since we are just pickling, clean out the mason jars like you normally would do any other dish. No need to sterilize these babies.

On the stove, combine the vinegars, water and salt. Simmer until salt is dissolved (about five minutes). After five minutes, toss in the minced garlic. Remove from heat and let it come to room temperature.

In the meantime, cut the cucumber in half. One half per mason jar. I quartered each half and then cut each piece in half again. I had 8 slices of cucumber per mason jar. Cut out the seeds and place the slices inside the mason jar. Sprinkle with dill.

When the vinegar mixture is cool, add it to the mason jar, leaving about 1/2 inch of space at the top. {Letting it cool to room temp will allow the cucumbers to keep some of their crunch and snap.}

Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 48 hours. I opened our jars after the 5th day. I took the smell test. They smelled … well, they smelled like pickles! My eyes lit up, and the biggest smile came across my face. I pulled a few out for us to try. And they were awesome. SO so so pleased.

If you try, please let me know how your pickles turn out – I really enjoyed this process 🙂

Happy pickling!!