Homemade Refrigerated Dill Pickles

• 6 cups sliced cucumbers (slice how you like them)

Pickling Mixture:

• 1/2-cup (packed) fresh dill (from your garden or the grocery store's fresh vegetable dept)
• 2 cups thinly sliced onions
• 1-1/2 cups sugar, honey, agave nector or Splenda
• 1-1/2 cups white vinegar (5%)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (canning or kosher is best, but not vital)
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• **optional grape leaves

Bring the pickling mixture and 2 cups of vinegar to a near-boil - just simmering!
Be sure to use a NON-metal pot - or a coated metal (teflon, silverstone, enamel, etc.) without breaks in the coating. The metal reacts with the vinegar and makes the pickle solution turn cloudy.
Pack the cucumbers, whole or slices in and pour the simmering pickle mix liquid over them. Fill them to within ¼-inch of the top, set the lid and hand-tighten the ring around them.
***To make your dill pickles crispy, put a fresh clean grape leaf in the bottom of each jar. Continue with the process as usual!
Cool at room temperature. About 2 hours. Put into the fridge and wait at least 24 hours!
It takes some time for the seasonings to be absorbed into the pickles. That's at least 24 hours, but for best flavor wait 1 week.
Be sure to keep them refrigerated!!! Lasts about 2 months.