As the summer growing season kicks off again, I am looking forward to making some fresh refrigerator pickles. These are a great way to preserve the cucumbers that are so abundant in July and August around here. They are also great for people who are afraid to can because there is no actual canning involved. All you have to do is boil the water, vinegar, sugar and salt and pour it over the pickles, garlic, dill and onions.
You need some pickling salt, white vinegar, sugar, dill, garlic, onions and cucumbers.
Slice up the cucumbers in the shape and size you want. We like spears at our house. Chunks and slices work well, too. Peel and crush the garlic, slice the onions and divide the dill into small portions.
Boil together the vinegar, water, sugar and salt until all combined and dissolved nicely.
Pack the cucumbers into a quart sized canning jar (or any other glass container you have) and put in a few sprigs of dill, some onions and garlic. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the vegetables and let it cool on the counter for a couple hours before covering and refrigerating. They are ready to eat within a few days. They last a long time in the fridge. I have a couple jars left over from last summer and they are still crispy and delicious!
The original recipe came from Taste of Home, but I have tweaked it a little to cut down on the sugar because we like our pickles dilly, not sweet. I adjust the amount of liquid ingredients based on the number of cucumbers I have.
Refrigerator Dill Pickles
For 5-6 quart sized jars of pickles you will need:
lots of cucumbers (about 10 large or 20 small)
1 large onion
20-30 fresh dill sprigs
1-2 crushed garlic cloves for each jar
1 quart of water
1 quart of white vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. canning salt
Cut the cucumbers into spears, slices or chunks as desired. Thinly slice the onions, peel and smash the garlic and cut the dill into small sprigs. Fill each jar with cucumbers, placing one garlic clove and as much onions and dill as desired in each jar. Boil together water, vinegar, sugar and salt. Pour into each jar, covering the vegetables. Allow to sit uncovered on the counter until cooled, about an hour. Cover and refrigerate. They will be ready to eat within a day or two.
