This light brine works great with many foods: cucumbers, of course, but also carrots, turnips, onions, green beans, asparagus, jalapeno chiles, even apples. And your pickles will last for weeks in the fridge (where you MUST keep them at all times or the pickles will go bad). Don't skip the step of simmering the garlic; this cooks out sulfur compounds that otherwise will cause the cloves to turn a harmless but very unappetizing blue-green color from the acid in the vinegar.