Quick Zesty Garlic Dill Pickles

Quick pickling is a fast way to have tangy, crispy and crunchy pickles in as little as an hour without any special equipment.  Besides eating pickles straight from the jar as a snack, serve with sandwiches or cheese and meat trays.  I do a lot of pickling during the summer months and take advantage of all the best garden and farmer's market veggies before they go bad.

Ingredients:
Kosher or pickling salt 6 Kirby or small cucumbers, trimmed and halved 8 sprigs fresh dill 1 jalapeno, sliced 2 cups water 1 cup distilled white vinegar 1/2 slivered onion 6 cloves garlic 4 tsp. Kosher salt 1 Tbsp. dill seeds 2 tsp. black peppercorns 2 tsp. mustard seeds

Sprinkle kosher or pickling salt over cucumbers in a colander; set aside to let drain 20-30 minutes.  Rinse salt from cucumbers and blot dry with paper towels; tightly pack in a clean jar, crock or glass bowl with dill springs and jalapeno.
Boil water, vinegar, onion, garlic, 4 tsp. salt, dill seeds, peppercorns and mustard seeds in a medium non-reactive saucepan, 5 minutes.  Pour mixture over cucumbers; let cool to room temperature.  Cover container and chill until cold.  Ready to serve!  Refrigerate up to 1 month. 

  Enjoy! \