Remove and discard ends of cucumbers. Slice cucumbers about ¼ of an inch thick. Thinly slice red onion.
Sprinkle 3 teaspoons of salt over you thinly sliced cucumbers and red onion. Place cucumbers and onions on tray lined with paper towels or in a colander and let sit for 1 hour—this helps remove the extra moisture from the vegetables. Set aside and start on your pickling mixture.
In a small saucepan on low heat add your vinegar, water, honey, minced garlic, and crushed red pepper. Bring mixture to a boil and let boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Please note: If you plan on using several small jars you will likely need more pickling liquid—Increase ingredients by 50%.
After your cucumbers and onions have sat for 1 hour, rinse salt and pat dry. Add your cucumbers and onions to 1 large jar or divide between 2 medium size jars (see notes). It’s okay to really squish the cucumbers and onions in there. Pour the pickling liquid into the jar(s) covering the cucumbers and onions. Place lid on tightly and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before eating.
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Notes
You can use any kind of vinegar you want, I prefer apple cider vinegar because it has a sweet taste and pairs well with the other flavors.
5 tablespoons on honey will give you a mildly sweet pickle, if you like your pickles really sweet try adding 8 tablespoons of honey.
This recipe fits perfectly into a 46 (1.88 liter) ounce jar or you’ll need 2-32 (1 quart) ounce jars. Or you’ll need some combinations of medium and small jar like 1-32 (1 quart) ounce jar and 1-16 (½ quart) ounce jar. If you use smaller jars, you may need to increase the amount of pickling liquid you make by 50%.