The BEST Refrigerator Pickles
Every summer we plant a small garden in the sunny corner of our backyard. Gardening has been a little bit of trial and error for us. Each year we learn something new. We add a little more. We gain a new piece of information. We ask others, we apply the wisdom we gained to the following year. I smile to myself as I realize that this sure is how life can be. You use what you have, you seek wisdom, you do your best, you try again, you learn, you grow. Cucumbers are one of my favorite things to plant because everyone in our family loves pickles, including the kiddos! When I decided to tackle my first batch, the first person I called for tips and tricks was my Aunt Terry. Everyone raves about her pickles and I knew she would be able to point me in the right direction. She had a recipe that a family friend shared with my Grandpa years back. No boiling the finished product? No sealing? Perfect! This recipe is inspired by the one that my Aunt passed along to me, with a few of my own preferences added. Each bite makes me think of the love that Aunt Terry pours into her cooking. Sunny summer days, sleepovers at her house in the country, time spent with our cousins, so many memories together.
Ingredients
- 7-8 lbs. Fresh Cucumbers (see note)
- 4 Stalks Fresh Dill (stalk and all)
- 4 tbsp. Mustard Seeds
- 2 Onions (white or yellow), cut into chunks
- 6, 32 oz. Wide Mouth Glass Jars, with lids
- Wide Mouth Funnel
Brine
- 2 quarts Natural Spring Water
- 1 quart Distilled White Vinegar
- 1 ½ c. Organic Cane Sugar
- ½ c. Canning Salt
- ¼ tsp. Alum (found in spice section)
Instructions
- Soak cucumbers in ice bath.
- While cucumbers are soaking, place a chunk of onion and 2 tsp. mustard seeds into each jar.
- Combine all of the brine ingredients except for the Alum in a large pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
- Remove cucumbers from ice bath, dry with paper towel and shave blossom end off with a knife. This prevents the cucumbers from softening. If you're not sure which end is the blossom end, just shave off both ends!
- Slice cucumbers lengthwise and pack into jars (it helps to tilt the jars on their side while you're filling them). When finished, stand the jars upright so that they are ready for the brine.
- Once the brine has come to a rolling boil, stir in the Alum. Using a wide mouth funnel, fill each jar with the hot brine, ensuring that the pickles are covered with the brine, but allowing enough space for a piece of dill.
- Tear off a piece of the dill and using tongs, place on top, gently pressing it down over the cucumbers. All of your ingredients should be fully covered by the brine, but I find that placing the dill on top prevents the cucumbers from floating to the surface. Use a ladle to fill any empty space with the brine. Ensure that all of the ingredients, including the dill, are fully submerged.
- Let sit for 24 hours at room temperature. You will notice the cucumbers change color. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
Notes
- In order to have crunchy pickles, the cucumbers need to be small to medium size (not overgrown) and must be freshly picked. When we pick cucumbers from our garden, I pickle them the same day. If you do not have your own garden, try your local farmers market and ask when they were picked.
- Fresh cucumbers seems prickly when they are fresh picked, this will not be an issue after soaking, drying and pickling them.
- Some pickle recipes call for tap water, but I find that using spring water makes for a very pure, crisp tasting pickle! Choose spring water that comes in blue or clear plastic jugs (not the milky white plastic which seems to affect the taste of the water).
- Make sure that your brine is at a rolling boil when you pour it over the pickles.
- The alum is an essential ingredient, it helps keep the pickles crunchy.
- Refrigerator pickles can keep in the refrigerator for up to a year, but use your own discretion of course. I find that they are all gobbled up in a couple weeks around here!
- If you enjoy sweeter pickles, you can increase the sugar to 2 ½ c.
