Garlic and Dill Refrigerator Pickles

You know you are at a good deli when your sandwich is accompanied by a crunchy pickle. I am partial to garlic, dill pickles and tend to stay away from spicy or sweet pickles.
I have never worked with a brine or pickled anything before so I figured pickles would be a good test of how easy this would be to do at home.
The first step for this was to find a good jar to make my pickles. The grocery store near us does have a pickling and jamming section with the classic mason jars but I wanted something with a flip top for my refrigerator pickles. I ended up finding a great jar for only a couple bucks at Ikea. You can even purchase replacement gaskets if the one that comes with it gets too funky.
The pickles have a great crunch and a good burn from the garlic. They took about five or six days before the flavors really married and you lost some of the cucumber/vinegar aftertaste. I guess they are supposed to be good for three or four weeks but I know they won't last that long.
It really only takes ten or fifteen minutes to make the brine and the rest is just trying not to eat them while the flavors come together in the fridge.

Ingredients:

• 8 cloves of peeled garlic
• 1 cup of white vinegar
• 3 tsp of sea salt (pure/unprocessed)
• 1 cup fresh dill sprigs
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 2 cups water
• 1 bag mini cucumbers

Directions:

1. Bring the water to a boil in a small pot.
2. Add half the garlic and simmer for a couple minutes.
3. Add the vinegar and salt and boil until the salt dissolves.
4. In the jar add the peppercorns, remaining garlic, and half the dill.
5. Quarter or halve the cucumbers and stuff the jar.
6. Pour the brine into the jar until the cucumbers have been totally covered.
7. Put in the rest of the dill and seal the jar and store in the fridge for at least five days.