My hubby loves to garden! The problem is he doesn’t like to eat vegetables. He is very proud of his harvest and on multiple occasions comes into the house with buckets of produce and I have no plan on what to do with all the bounty. This happens a lot with the cucumbers. A few years ago I discovered pickles did not have to be canned and I went down the path of refrigerator pickles. Pro tip – my hubby picks the cucumbers with gloves and is a sweetheart and removes all of the spines for me (love him)
The neighbors enjoy the extras and return the jars so they are guaranteed more!
I realized recently I had never posted my recipe. I think I was trying to make sure I had it dialed in. But honestly the recipe changes all the time. I started with some dried chili peppers from a trip to mexico, then a “portuguese pepper flakes” (never found those again), and this round we don’t have any jalapenos in the house, so we are trying dried jalapeno flakes.
The other tip I realized with this recipe is the choice of glass jar. It doesn’t have to be a ball jar. Simply a jar that closes and fits your cucumbers. Game changer. Also free if you save that jars from other things you eat!
Refrigerator Pickles
Ingredients
Brine
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/4 cups white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
Pickles
- 4 cups cucumber spears (or circles or girkins)
- 2 cloves garlic, whole, smashed
- 2 heads fresh dill or 1-2 tbl dried dill
- 4-5 tbl pickling spice
- 2-4 jalapeños or 1-2 tsp dried jalapeño flake (optional)
- 1-4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
Brine
- Stir water, vinegar, sugar, and sea salt together in a saucepan over high heat.
- Bring to a boil;
- Remove from heat and cool completely.
Pickles
- Prep the jars – jars need to match the size of your cucumber for spears
- Place 1-2 tsp pickling spice at the bottom
- Place dried spices at the bottom if using – 1/2-1 tsp dried dill, 1/3-1 tsp spice, 1/3-1/2 tsp dill seed
- Place enough cucumbers to fill the jar with some tension
- Add 1-2 cloves are garlic down the side
- Place 1-2 halves of jalapeño down the side if using
- Place 2-3 sprigs of dill if using
- Fill jar to the top with cooled brine
- Cover, label with date and ingredients, place in the fridge
- Allow 3-7 days at a minimum for pickles to capture all the flavors.
Verdict:
By far my most favorite pickles. They last for a very very long time in the fridge.
The brine can also be used again for new cucumbers or eggs or even jalapenos.
I generally double the brine recipe and save the extra brine in a glass jar so it’s a quicker pickle experience for the next round of cucumbers that come into the house.
Generally it’s a try it and see what you like type of experience, so go for it and let me know how you make it!
