Pickles: three recipes

UPDATE: I'm thrilled to announce that my recipe for zucchini chips co-won the Can You Can It? preserving contest hosted by Eve at The Garden of Eating. Thanks to all the Ninj's followers who voted! I'm looking forward to tackling some new preserving projects from my prize, Put 'em Up!: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook, from Drying and Freezing to Canning and Pickling

Three kinds of pickles

Three for the price of one today.

Let's get busy before the cucumbers and zucchini are gone for another year:

1. Best-Ever Dill Pickles
The first one, I will admit, is really just a repeat of last year's pickles.

However, they were my first foray into pickling and were billed by BHG as "Best-Ever Dill Pickles", so the recipe bears repeating. They were truly some of the best dill pickles I've tasted, so I'd encourage you to give them a try.

Recipe: Best-Ever Dill Pickles

2. Zucchini Pickles
Another great use for zucchini and ready in 24 hours. Slightly sweet and definitely spicy, this one is adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients
Zucchini
1 small sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Slice a large zucchini into rounds about 1/8" thick (a hand-held mandoline slicer makes short work of this task); you'll need 3-4 cups, depending on your jar. Pack the zucchini, sliced onions and garlic into a quart-sized jar.

In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, sugar, red pepper, mustard seed and salt to a boil. Pour over the zucchini mixture. Let cool for about half and hour or so, then put a lid on the jar and pop it into the refrigerator for 24 hours.

3. Refrigerator Pickles
I am currently obsessed with making these refrigerator pickles from Eve over at The Garden of Eating. They are insanely easy and, as long as you can control yourself from eating them for the first 5-7 days, they taste like an awesome half-sour deli pickle.

Recipe: Refrigerator Pickles from The Garden of Eating

NOTE: I have added this entry to the Patchwork Living Blogging Bee -- check it out for more great sustainable living blogs and posts.