I love tangy, sour, tart foods so it's no surprise that I love pickles. I am especially fond of "oshinko" Japanese pickled veggies, as well as kimchi, Korean pickled (and fermented) cabbage, and of course I do enjoy good ol' American pickled cucumbers. 

A few years ago when I worked at Bon Appetit magazine, I came across this fantastic recipe for pickles that are part sweet, part sour. Now, in general I don't actually like sweet pickles, but for some reason, this specific well-balanced pickle recipe tickles my fancy, and therefore I have recreated is zillions of times. However, my version of the recipe calls for less sugar and additional veggies. You can pickle anything!

These part sweet but mostly sour pickles are incredibly versatile and I like to enjoy them straight from the jar, but they are also delish on burgers and sandwiches. Homemade pickles are also a sure way to impress friends, "you made your own pickles?!" Yet they are super easy to make.

Mostly Sour But Slightly Sweet Dill Pickles

Adapted from Bon Appetit

1 small Vidalia onion, cut into six wedges

1/2 pound cucumbers

bunch radishes

handful button mushrooms

1 large bunch dill, coarsely chopped (stems included)

1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds

2 teaspoons whole white peppercorns

1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar

1 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons coarse kosher salt

2 teaspoons dill seeds

Divide onion between two 1-quart wide-mouth glass jars. Pack veggies in jars. Top each jar with dill. Using mortar and pestle or resealable plastic bag and mallet (I used a Campari bottle), crush mustard seeds and peppercorns together. Place crushed spices in medium saucepan. Add vinegar, 1 cup water, sugar, coarse salt, and dill seeds. Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Ladle mixture evenly over cucumbers. Cover, refrigerate.