Pickle Recipe
These quick pickles are crunchy, tangy, and perfectly spiced, ready in just a few hours. Slice cucumbers into rounds or spears, pour over a simple brine with dill and garlic, and chill. They’re a fresh, homemade treat you’ll reach for again and again.
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Spoon or whisk
- Liquid Measuring cups
- Wide mouth jar
Ingredients
- ½ cup rice vinegar
- 1 medium-to-large cucumber or 2 small cucumbers
- 1½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1½ tbsp maple syrup or sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 leafy sprigs of fresh dill, roughly chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup water, at room temperature or cooler
- 20 twists of freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Slice the cucumbers into ⅛-inch thick rounds or into spears by cutting them in half lengthwise, then quarters, then eighths; if the spears are too tall, slice them through the middle.
- In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, mix water, vinegar, maple syrup, salt, red pepper flakes if using, and black pepper, stirring for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until the salt mostly dissolves.
- Pack the cucumbers into a wide-mouth jar, making sure spears stand snugly upright.
- Add the dill, garlic, and tuck the bay leaf along the side.
- Pour the prepared liquid over the cucumbers, ensuring they are fully submerged.
- Cover the jar and refrigerate for at least 1 hour for rounds or at least 3 hours for spears; the flavor improves over the next couple of days.
Notes
- For crisper pickles, use very fresh, firm cucumbers.
- You can swap maple syrup with honey or sugar for a different sweetness.
- Add extra spices like mustard seeds or coriander for more complex flavors.