Make Your Own Quick Pickles with This Recipe

It's Quickle Season

By Katie Pollock Estes

I’ve always been afraid of real canning. There seem to be a lot of rules about food safety that I don’t feel qualified to properly execute. But quick pickles are a different animal. They come together in a flash, don’t require a single ounce of special skill, are highly customizable and have a fresh and summery crispness that a classic pickle could only dream of. This is a simple and basic recipe that I have made many times with my daughter, but you can make adjustments to make it your own: Change up the spices (try adding red pepper flakes), add even more heat with fresh jalapeño slices (with the seeds!), sweeten it up with some sugar (which you’ll add during Step 2), or throw in other veggies to pickle alongside your cucumbers. You can’t mess it up, I promise!

Summertime Quickles

Ingredients
• 2 cups thin-skinned summer-fresh cucumbers, cleaned and sliced
• ¼ cup fresh dill
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• ½ teaspoon whole peppercorns
• ¼ teaspoon coriander seed
• ¼ teaspoon dill seed
• ¼ teaspoon whole mustard seed
• ¼ teaspoon whole allspice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

Instructions
Place cucumbers, dill, spices and garlic in a large glass jar, and set aside. Boil water. Add vinegar and salt, and stir until salt is dissolved. Pour the hot water-vinegar mixture over the cucumbers until they are covered. Screw on the lid. Place the jar in the refrigerator overnight before serving. Pickles will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.