How to Make Pickles - Refrigerator Pickles

Ingredients:

How to Make Pickles - Refrigerator Pickles

Fresh pickling cucumbers (about 1/2 bushel will make four gallons!)
3 to 4 cloves of fresh garlic
3 heads of fresh dill

Brine (recipe makes enough for one gallon)
2 cups distilled vinegar
8 cups water
1 cup kosher salt
2 teaspoons dried dill seed
1 teaspoon alum

Equipment:

Glass jar with lid
stock pot or sauce pan
measuring cups and spoons

Step 1:

Wash the cucumbers thoroughly, removing stems and blossoms that may still be attached.

Step 2:

Place a head of fresh dill and one sliced clove of garlic on the bottom of the jar. This jar is a 1/2 gallon mason jar. Pack cucumbers firmly but not tight into the jar.

Step 3:

About halfway from the top of the jar, put another head of fresh dill and another sliced clove of garlic, then continue with cucumbers to the top.

Step 4:

Put another head of dill and another sliced clove of garlic at the top.

Step 5:

In a stock pot or large sauce pan bring the vinegar, water, salt and dried dill seed to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes covered.

Step 6:

Remove the brine from heat and allow to cool before pouring on your pickles. Add alum to the jar.

Step 7:

Firmly close up pickles with a lid and refrigerate. They will be ready to eat in about 6 weeks.

I made a 1/2 gallon of pickles. I try to wait until the holidays before eating any but I can't always hold out that long. These pickles are really garlicky which is exactly how I like them.