Pickle Mania

I like pickles.  Especially sharp, tart pickles.  Sweet Gherkins are't really my favorite.  Especially when they have Splenda in them which was a horrid mistake I experienced one Christmas.  I have issues with Splenda from taste to texture to chemical makeup and eating pickles that have Splenda instead of sugar left a lasting impression.

I have a nice bunch of cucumber plants as evidenced here, and I wondered if I had enough to make some refrigerator pickles I had read about.  I picked all that I considered ready and got them washed and ready.

It said to use 7 cups.  I had no idea what 7 cups of sliced cucumbers would look like.  So I washed, peeled and sliced and look what I got!

8 cups!  It's not really quite as much as I imagined, so now I have an idea in case I want to make them again.  And OH do I ever want to make them again!

The recipe is as follows and then I will tell you  my 2 objections.  Or, you can play along and see if you can figure out my 2 ojections before I reveal them.  Just to see how well you know me.

Refrigerator Pickles

7 cups of cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1 t. salt
1 c. apple cider vinegar
2 c. sugar
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red onion, seeded and chopped
1 T celery seed

Sprinkle salt over sliced cucumbers and leave for an hour.  Do not drain.  Add the rest of the ingredients, stir and refrigerate.

That's it. 

DELICIOUS.

But here is what I will do next time.  I will not peel the cucumbers.  I think they would be a little crisper because the peel would hold them together better.

And, I will not use that much sugar again.  I don't know how much I will cut it down, but they are super sweet and I don't like to use that much sugar, if I can get away with it.

You can't can these.  In fact, I don't even know how anyone can can pickles.  I read about it and it's so scary, I wouldn't even begin to try.  And I know some of you just can all willy nilly, making up your own rules, but I have only canned for one season and I am a rule follower, so I will not listen to you telling me how easy it is to can pickles. 

Seriously. 

I'll just make these and add to the liquid until it's all gone and then start over.

I also got to use my Pampered Chef Mandoline and that's always a good thing!

Linking up here here and here.