The Pickle Recipe

Because I got a really cute apron for my birthday,

Because we have fresh dill in the backyard,

And because I've been looking for an excuse to buy Mason jars...

I decided to try my luck on a pickle recipe that I came across on one of my very favorite blogs, Fly Through Our Window.

Call me a blog stalker, but I feel like Darby and I would be good friends if I knew her outside of the blogging world. And, the way I stumbled upon her blog shows what a tiny little world we live in.

See if you can follow me here...

One of my very good friends {J-Frat} was sorority sisters at Auburn with Darby's twin sister {and interior design super-star} Erika. Erika will soon be decorating J-Frat's sister-in-law's {also a friend of mine} new home. J-Frat's sister-in-law's husband happens to be a work/church buddy of my hubby and told him about Erika's blog, Urban Grace Interiors. And, in turn my hubby told me about it because he knew I would love it. And, I do. Well, on Erika's blog, there is a link to her sister's blog. And that's how I found I Fly Through Our Window.

Whew!

Did that make your head spin? I thought it might.

Well, long story short, I've been following both sisters blogs for about a month now and both are in my top 10 fav blogs.

Erika has inspired me to refresh my home decor and Darby has introduced me to stylish Walmart swimsuits and pickle making. : )

All blog stalking aside, here is Darby's pickle recipe. They were super easy and fun to make {I got to use fancy cooking stuff like a mortar and pestle and a mandolin}. And, lest we forget, making them gave me a good reason to try out my new apron.

Slightly Sweet Dill Refrigerator Pickles

Ingredients:

• 1 small sweet onion {such as Vidalia or Maui}, thinly sliced
• 2 pounds medium pickling cucumbers, scrubbed, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds {per Darby's recommendation, we used regular ole cucumbers}
• 1 large bunch dill, coarsely chopped {stems included}
• 1 teaspoon of mustard powder
• 2 teaspoons whole white peppercorns {I used a peppercorn medley}
• 2 cups apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons dill seeds

Preparation:

• Divide sliced onion between five 1-quart wide-mouth glass jars. Pack cucumber slices horizontally in jars. Top each jar with dill.
• Using mortar and pestle {or resealable plastic bag and mallet} crush mustard seeds and peppercorns together. Place crushed spices in medium saucepan. Add vinegar, 1 cup water, sugar, coarse salt, and dill seeds. Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
• Ladle mixture evenly over cucumbers. Leave jars uncovered and chill 24 hours.
• Cover glass pickle jars tightly with lids.
• Keep refrigerated.

Yields 5 pints.