Refrigerator Pickles

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.  

Tomato Cucumber Bread Salad

Here's another great idea for those ripe summer tomatoes and cucumbers fresh from the garden.  This super easy recipe combines a juicy tomato, crisp cucumber, red onion, basil, olive oil and red wine vinegar together in a delicious salad that is made even more delicious by the addition of some day-old bread.  In Italy, this is called "panzanella" and it seems like every recipe I found has a different combination of vegetables and a different dressing, so I used what I had.

Tomato Cucumber Bread Salad
For one big salad (as a meal) or two small salads (as a side)
1 medium ripe tomato
1 smallish cucumber
a little red onion
a few basil leaves, shredded
olive oil
red wine vinegar (it would also be good with balsamic vinegar)
salt & pepper to taste
day old bread, cut into bite sized pieces and left out while the salad marinades in the fridge

The bread you use should be good bread, not sandwich bread.  I have made this twice.  The first time I used an old baguette, the second time I used some of my rosemary focacccia I had in the freezer.

Dice the tomato, slice cucumber and onion (I used about an eighth of a medium red onion) and shred basil and combine in a bowl.  Add a few Tablespoons of olive oil and a few teaspoons of red wine vinegar and some salt and pepper if you like.  Taste it, then adjust flavors as necessary.  Let sit in fridge for an hour or so to meld flavors.

To serve, dish vegetables on a plate, top with bread cubes, then drizzle with additional dressing.  Let sit for a few minutes so the bread can soak up some of the dressing.