So, John walked in on me as I was singing to myself -- and not just singing to myself -- singing to myself a made-up song about pickles.

I was a little embarrassed, but I explained to him why I was so excited to have found this recipe for refrigerator pickles, and he quickly understood why I was so excited. ;)

Reason #1: My cucumbers are not yet at their most prolific, so I'm only bringing them in a few at a time. That's not nearly enough cukes to justify a full pickle canning session. But, with minimal effort, you can adjust this recipe as needed and only make as much as you need.

Reason #2: This particular recipe uses items I already have on hand. The jalapenos are going strong in the backyard, so I had just the right ingredient to provide a kick. And, I was able to make use of the dried dill I've got stored in the pantry.

Reason #3: The fact that these pickles are just stored in the refrigerator and don't have to be sealed by canning makes them an accessible pickle that anybody can try out. There's no need to be intimidated by this recipe. It can be whipped up in a matter of 5 minutes!

Reason #4: A lot of traditional pickle recipes requite a long wait time before trying out your finished product. One year, I used a recipe that required waiting 1 month before sampling the pickles. By then, I'd made jar after jar of these pickles that, once we finally got to try them, we didn't even care for. By then, the cucumbers had stopped producing. The wait time on these, though, is only 3 days. I've already had a chance to try my first batch and decide to amp up the spice level in the next one.

These really are delicious! And, unlike some processed pickles I've made in the past, they're very crisp! See? These pickles really are worth singing about!

Check out the original recipe here.