Refrigerator Pickles

According to the calendar, it’s barely summer, but at the farmers markets, there are plenty of summer veggies, including cucumbers, which means now is the perfect time to make refrigerator pickles.

Refrigerator pickles are super easy, and you can take many different paths with the seasonings if you follow the basic brine recipe. They only need to sit in the fridge for just a day or two before you can enjoy them, unlike canned pickles that take a month or more.

Here’s the recipe, which you can customize as you like. Check the notes below for more details.

You can make pickle spears if you like.

You can make pickle spears if you like.

Refrigerator Pickles

  • 2-3 large cucumbers, sliced into coins (or spears, whatever you like)

  • 3/4 cup white vinegar

  • 1-1/2 cups water (note the 2-1 ration of water-vinegar)

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon white sugar

Optional ingredients

  • Sliced white onion

  • Sprig of fresh dill

  • 1-several cloves of garlic

  • 1 teaspoon (or to taste) celery seed, dill seed, whole black peppercorns, or crushed red pepper

Put the cucumbers (and any other vegetable ingredients you’re using) in a jar or a metal/glass bowl, something you can cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Sprinkle the spices (not the salt or sugar) over the cukes. In a separate bowl, combine water, vinegar, salt and sugar, and mix until salt and sugar are dissolved. Pour the brine over the cucumbers.

Cover and chill in the fridge for 1-2 days (if you can wait that long).

I really should take a better picture of this…

I really should take a better picture of this…

Notes:

If you want really crunchy pickles (and who doesn’t?) use the cucumbers as soon as possible after they’ve been picked. The longer they sit before you use them, the less crunchy they’ll be as pickles. (This also applies to canned cukes, BTW.)

If you have a lot of cucumbers, you may need to make more brine; or you may have brine left over. Just remember the 2-1 water-vinegar ratio, and add a bit more spices.

If you have brine leftover, you can top off the cukes with it. Luckily it’s just water and vinegar, so it’s not a huge financial loss if you need to dump it. (You can always add more water and use it to clean your coffee maker.)

This recipe is super customizable, and if you use it a lot you can develop your own signature mixture. Enjoy!

Brian PelletierComment