Hello! I have three questions about the following recipe which is a refrigerator pickle recipe. 1. It's one of the few refrigerator pickle recipes I've seen that doesn't call for bringing the vinegar mixture to a boil before pouring over the cucumbers--would it be better if I did boil it first? (Safer?) 2. It says the pickles are best after about four months. What do you think would be the maximum shelf life (unsealed, before opening) in the refrigerator? 3. Also, after making this batch of pickles, I put it in my mini fridge in our downstairs mother-in-law suite kitchen. When I put them in, I must have accidentally knocked into the temperature dial in the fridge and in the course of a week (I checked them a week later) the internal temperature of the fridge went from 38 degrees F to 55 degrees F. Within 24 hours I got the internal temp back down to 38, but has the safety of the pickles been compromised by this increase in temperature for possibly as many as 6 days? Here's the recipe: No-Salt Dill Pickles -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recipe By: The Joy of Pickling Serving Size: 2 Yield: pints Ingredients: 1 pound pickling cucumbers, 3-4" long, unwaxed 2 1/2 cups white vinegar 1 1/2 cups water 1 tablespoon sugar 4 medium grape leaves, washed and spun dry 8 whole black peppercorns 1/4 teaspoon coriander seed, whole 2 small dill heads 1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon dill seed 2 pinches crushed red pepper Directions: 1. Wash cucumbers thoroughly, scrubbing with brush. Pat dry with towel. Trim both ends of each cucumber, cut in 1/4" thick slices (or thinner if you like). 2. Stir together the vinegar, water, and sugar. 3. Push one grape leaf to bottom of a pint jar. Drop four peppercorns and 1/8 tsp. coriander into the jar. Push one dill head to bottom of jar and fill with half of the sliced cucumbers. Put half of minced garlic on top, along with 1/2 tsp. dill seed and 1 pinch of crushed red pepper. 4. Pour liquid over cucumbers, covering them well and leaving about 1/4" headspace. Fold one grape leaf to fit in the top of the jar. Close the jar tightly with a nonreactive cap. Repeat steps 2-5 with remaining jar and ingredients. 5. Refrigerate the jars for at least 2 weeks before eating the pickles. They are best after about four months. ALWAYS keep them in the refrigerator for storage, even when unopened.