Lazy Fridge Pickles

So, I haven't posted on here for... quite a while. I've been fluttering around sourdough and gluten-free cooking lately and I feel like I have some things to share. Now, I just need to find the time to share them. I'm actually motivated to post this recipe because I've been having a lot of people asking for my pickle recipe lately and this seems like a nice central place to stick it. I have played around with this quite a bit the last few years. It is kind of a ferment and fridge pickle hybrid that involves uncooked cucumbers and uncooked brine with Braggs apple cider vinegar and "forgetting" to put the pickles into the fridge for a day or two... hence the "Lazy" part of my Lazy Fridge Pickles. I actually attempted a fully fermented pickle once and very unfortunately used two quart jars full of homegrown pickles, garlic and dill to do it. It was a massive fail to make pickles, but a huge success at making rancid cucumber jelly... I always try to look on the positive side. So, I've been too scared (read: smart) to try that again, but I did want a little more mature flavor and health benefits in my pickles and the hybrid technique was born. So far - and I'm going on maybe 20 quarts of pickles over the last three years - this is NO FAIL. Seriously. And, they get rave reviews, even from my toughest critics (aka my husband and daughters) and get demolished at parties where most self respecting social butterflies should know better than to scarf down garlicky pickles. Anyhow, if you like pickles, I hope you give this a try and let me know how it works for you!

Lazy Fridge Pickles
By: Vanessa Prentice
Ingredients:
6-7 small cucumbers sliced in quarters
1 cup water
1 cup Braggs apple cider vinegar
5-6 sliced cloves of garlic
4 or so sprigs of fresh dill
1 tbsp dried dill
1 sliced onion
8 tsp salt (I use Redman's Real Salt)
1 tbsp raw honey
additional water to fill jar

Optional: fresh washed grape leaves, 1 tsp mustard seeds or prepared mustard, 3-4 sliced hot peppers if you like 'em spicy, additional honey or 1/3 cup sugar if you like 'em sweet.

Pack your quart jar with layers of grape leaves - if you have them, onions, cucumber, garlic and dill sprigs until the jar is almost completely full. In a bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients until well combined and pour into the jar. Fill the jar up completely with water then put on a lid and shake well. Leave the jar on the counter for 12-24 hours then put into the fridge. The pickles will be nice and tasty in about a week, but will keep for much longer - if you can keep from eating them all.