Let's Pickle

This past weekend I was in the mood to pickle. I had a deep desire to breathe dill. Unfortunately, I never made it to the farmer's market that morning so I had no fresh dill or Kirby cucs to play with. I did, however, have a stash of squash, zucchini, and dill seed. And, with that I set about pickling summer squash spears.

Yields: 4 pints
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups water, I use filtered pitcher water
4 tsp. sea salt
4 tsp. minced garlic
4 tsp. dill seed or 4 dill heads
4 tbs. chopped onion

1. First I made ready four pint jars. That's the beauty of refrigerator pickles. You can make them in small batches, fairly quickly, and without much fuss. They will need to continuously be stored in the refrigerator since they are not processed and sealed. In the fridge they should keep several months. I have had some stay fresh upwards to a year. But, as with all home food preservation, use your better judgement.
2. I cut both ends off the squash to fit the jars. Then I cut them into spears. I blanched them for 1 min. followed by an immediate ice bath to promote crispness.
3. In saucepan combine vinegar, water, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 1 minute.
4. In jars place 1 tsp. minced garlic, 1 tsp. dill seed, 1 tbs. chopped onion into each jar. Then pack pickles on top. Pack them snugly, but not tightly.
5. Slowly pour brine mixture over the spears, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean and place lids and rings on jars. After cooling a bit on counter move to the refrigerator to cure for a week.

I'm dying to open up a jar and give them a go since this was the first time I'd pickled summer squash in this manner.