My First Attempt at Making Pickles!

Last week, one of my coworkers was telling me that she made pickles. She said they were super easy to make and delicious. She said I should make some, and, well, for the sake of coworker bonding (and delicious pickles), I agreed.

I have always liked pickles, especially on a burger or as a snack in the summer. But I’m not obsessed. Growing up, a girl I met at the babysitter would drink the pickle brine straight from the jar.

Couldn’t be me.

Regardless, I figured if I could make my own pickles, I could have a pickled summer ahead of me, complete with pickletinis and burger bowls.

So, I found a good recipe to start with — it’s from Love and Lemons.

I decided to start with a basic dill pickle recipe, and once I got that right, then I could move into spicier territories.

Well, I ran into issues (or should I say, pickle) with my ingredients. Side note: I currently have an injury that affects my mobility, so I’m relying on grocery delivery and the smallest store near me.

So, I wasn’t able to get mini cucumbers or mustard seeds.

Instead, I bought regular organic cucumbers and fennel seeds. Otherwise, I followed the recipe.

I sliced up my cucumbers and stuffed all the goodies into random sauce jars I already had.

They chilled in the fridge for three days before I took the first bite. Initial thoughts? They are a smidge too sweet for my liking (I really don’t like sweet pickles).

It’s difficult to tell if it really was the small bit of sugar I used or if the fennel was bringing a sweetness out of the pickle.

But the cucumbers are crisp and crunchy! I’ve had 4-5 pickles now, and they are good, but I want to get them perfect before I start adding peppers.

Regardless, I’ve got work to do! I’ve already added mini cucumbers to my grocery order this week, and mustard seeds are on my list.

I’ll continue to tweak the brine so it’s not sweet. You can reuse the brine for a month, so I’m going to tweak what I can and keep tasting along the way.

Call it my pickle project, but I’m on the way to pickle perfection!

Have you ever made pickles? If you’ve got any tips, let me know!

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