Description
Easy refrigerator pickles can be made from either store bought or home grown produce using simple ingredients and recycle jars
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 – 1.5 pounds of cucumbers
- 1 medium Vidalia or sweet onion
- 1 medium colorful pepper
- 1 tbsp pickling salt
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 tbsp celery seed
- 1 tbsp mustard seed
- spigs of fresh herbs like dill, rosemary, basil, or thyme (optional)
Instructions
- Using a mandoline or making very uniform thin slices, slice the cucumbers, onions and pepper.
- Combine sliced veggies in a large bowl, preferably one with a lid, and toss with pickling salt. Allow to stand for 1 hour.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, vinegar, celery and mustard seed and bring to slow boil, making sure sugar has completely dissolved.
- Drain the excess water from the veggie mixture and toss with hot brine. Be sure to evenly coat all veggies and have veggies under the surface of the brine. Allow mixture to come to room temperature.
- Once cooled, refrigerate over night. In the morning, ladle cold pickles into clean jars. Be sure to cover jarred pickles with enough brine to cover veggies.
- Keep refrigerated and consume within one month.
Notes
While backyard, garden grown produce is always best, don’t hesitate to buy fresh produce in the grocery store or farmer’s market to use in food preservation and canning recipes at home. I’ve enjoyed this pickle recipe with both my own summer cucumbers as well as cucumbers purchased in the grocery store.