It's that pickles time of year.
Heat-adoring cucumbers are coming in hot this month. Time for pickling or making refrigerator pickles.
Refrigerator pickles are quick and easy to make (and SO good and crisp), requiring no traditional canning or fermentation. They are prepared by placing fresh cucumbers into a vinegar-based brine along with spices, herbs, and sometimes a little sugar.
The pickles are then stored in the refrigerator, allowing the cukes to absorb the flavors and develop a tangy taste over only a few days.
Unlike traditional pickles, which undergo a lengthy fermentation process and require special canning techniques to be shelf-stable, refrigerator pickles must be kept cold and consumed within a few weeks. This method is popular for its simplicity, speed, and ability to preserve the crisp texture of the cucumbers.
TIP: Once you've eaten a few from the refrigerator pickle jar you can add more cucumbers to replenish so you always have some in the brine. Make fresh brine every two to three weeks.
Old Fashioned Refrigerator Pickles Recipe
Ingredients
Pickles
Onions
4 cups sugar
4 cups apple cider vinegar (1 quart)
1-1/3 teaspoon turmeric (I go lighter on the turmeric as it can quickly overpower the flavor and can be unsightly in the jars)
1-1/3 teaspoon celery seed
1-1/3 teaspoon mustard seed
Instructions
Heat sugar, vinegar, salt, and spices just to dissolve, then cool. Pour over pickles in jar. Refrigerate. Within a few days they’ll be done. Keep refrigerated. Replenish the jar with fresh pickles regularly.
Recipe credit: Phyllis Podhajsky, age 85
Refrigerator pickles are quick and easy to make (and SO good and crisp), requiring no traditional canning or fermentation. They are prepared by placing fresh cucumbers into a vinegar-based brine along with spices, herbs, and sometimes a little sugar.
The pickles are then stored in the refrigerator, allowing the cukes to absorb the flavors and develop a tangy taste over only a few days.
Unlike traditional pickles, which undergo a lengthy fermentation process and require special canning techniques to be shelf-stable, refrigerator pickles must be kept cold and consumed within a few weeks. This method is popular for its simplicity, speed, and ability to preserve the crisp texture of the cucumbers.
TIP: Once you've eaten a few from the refrigerator pickle jar you can add more cucumbers to replenish so you always have some in the brine. Make fresh brine every two to three weeks.
Old Fashioned Refrigerator Pickles Recipe
Ingredients
Pickles
Onions
4 cups sugar
4 cups apple cider vinegar (1 quart)
1-1/3 teaspoon turmeric (I go lighter on the turmeric as it can quickly overpower the flavor and can be unsightly in the jars)
1-1/3 teaspoon celery seed
1-1/3 teaspoon mustard seed
Instructions
Heat sugar, vinegar, salt, and spices just to dissolve, then cool. Pour over pickles in jar. Refrigerate. Within a few days they’ll be done. Keep refrigerated. Replenish the jar with fresh pickles regularly.
Recipe credit: Phyllis Podhajsky, age 85
Be food safe. Signs that pickles have gone bad include visible mold, discoloration of the brine or pickles, a bad smell when opening the container, or fizziness or bulging lid.