For the brine (per 2 jars):
1 IPA of your choice. O'Dell IPA is delightful
3/4 Cup Distilled Vinegar
3/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
3 Tbsp Kosher Salt
Boil that up, get ready for your entire house to smell like vinegar, and remove from heat to cool a bit.
In the jars:
This is where it gets all silly nilly. About one cucumber will fill a large mason jar. So will a zucchini combined with a yellow squash mixed with onion and red bell peppers. So let's just say this -
3 Cucumbers
2 Zucchinis
2 Yellow Squash
1/2 White onion
1 Bell Pepper, color of your choice
1 Garlic Bulb
Whole Peppercorns
Dill Seed
Crushed Red Pepper
1. Cut one cucumber into spears, and another into slices. Fill up ye mason jar. Add some diced garlic, about a teaspoon of peppercorns, 2 teaspoons of dill seed and a teaspoon of crushed red pepper. Boom, there are your basic pickles.
2. Open an IPA for yourself. You've earned it.
3. Slice the zucchinis and squash, chop up the onion (I liked bigger chunks), slice up that bell pepper and distribute them in the remaining jars. The jars should be fairly full. Now mix and match. You'll notice I decided to put tomato slices in one.
Whatever, you do you.
4. Add a teaspoon of dill to each jar along with 2 teaspoons of black peppercorns.
5. Here's where you get to flex your creative muscles. Do you want spicier pickles? Throw a chopped habanero into one. The finished pickles aren't as hot as you think, but they will sneak up on you. I love garlic, so I added some to almost all of mine. Red pepper flakes, peppercorns, garlic, just throw some of that stuff in. Put 3 teaspoons of black peppercorns in one, see what happens.
6. When the brine has cooled slightly (but still should be hot), ladel it evenly into the jars. If you packed them in, the brine should last for six jars. I think I got my jars too large because I had to quickly whip up another like quarter batch. It happens. The brine should cover the future pickles.
7. Seal the jars and let them sit to cool. I threw on Max Payne and got to Rico Muerte in about an hour and the jars were cool. Soooo, about an hour.
8. Refrigerate for a week. And I do mean a week. I tried some on day six, and they were pretty tasty, but day seven was exponentially better.
Bam, pickles.
