We actually harvested enough cucumbers from our tiny container garden to make two batches of pickles! I made one batch that was your basic garlic dill, and one batch inspired by Asian-style cucumber salads. The method was the same for both, so I’m going to go through that first, then give you the ingredients. If you’re not growing your own cukes, it’s worth it to get some from your local farmers market while they’re in season.

1. Heat up the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar, stirring until the salt and sugar dissolve. Then take it off the heat and let it cool while you do everything else. For the Asian-inspired pickles, you can stir in the other liquid ingredients at this point.

2. Place basically everything else but the cucumbers in whatever container you’re using. I used quart-sized jars, but since we’re not canning them you can use whatever non-reactive container you like, as long as you can situate it so the brine is covering all the cucumbers.

3. Slice up the cucumbers however you like. Or you can leave then whole, but I would maybe poke some holes in them if they’re very big to make sure the brine penetrates all the way into them. Put the cucumbers in your container, then pour the brine over everything (the recipe makes more brine than you’ll probably need, but you can always throw some more vinegar and water on top if you need to). Maybe give it a thump or two on the counter to get out any air bubbles.

4. Cover and throw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. I like to give them a shake every once in a while, but I’m not sure that’s necessary. After 24 hours they’re ready to eat, and they should keep for a while in the fridge after that, although they’ll soften over time.

Garlic Dill Pickles
1 lb. pickling cucumbers
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 1/2 TB pickling or kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1/4 cup sliced onion
couple sprigs of dill
1 tsp each dill seed, black peppercorns, mustard seed, coriander seed, allspice berries, and crushed red pepper flakes
3 bay leaves, crumbled

Asian-Inspired Pickles
1 lb. pickling cucumbers
3/4 cup rice vinegar
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 TB salt
1 1/2 TB sugar
2 TB soy sauce
2 TB mirin
1 tsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup sliced onion
1 1-inch finger of fresh ginger, sliced
1 small red chili (I used Fresno), sliced
2 whole star anise
4 whole cloves
1 tsp each peppercorns and coriander seed