Refrigerator dill pickles could not be easier to make. Last year when my garden was producing a huge crop of cucumbers, I made up the brine and refrigerated it. When I came in with my cucumbers-of-the-day, I would rinse them and put them into quart jars, add dill, etc. and fill the jar with brine. Tucked into the spare refrigerator to “ferment”, these pickles make half sours in a day or two, and full sours in a week. They’ll keep for a month or so, but really not much longer since they’re not processed. The nice thing is that you can just make up a jar or two. So if you want to give it a try, don’t worry about needing 3 pounds of cucumbers. Make up the brine and fill your jars with as many of this week’s cucumbers as you want to pickle. We’ll cross our fingers that there are more cucumbers in our future.
Ingredients:
About 3 pounds of cucumbers 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar 1 1/2 cups water 2 tablespoons pickling salt (Kosher salt is fine – just don’t use iodized salt) 8 garlic cloves, peeled 4 teaspoons dill seed 2 teaspoons black peppercorns 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
Preparation:
Wash quart jars and lids thoroughly in warm, soapy water.
Wash and dry cucumbers. Cut into chips, spears or leave whole, depending on your preference.
Combine vinegar, water and salt in sauce pan and bring to a boil.
Equally divide garlic cloves, dill seed, black peppercorns and red chili flakes between jars. Pack prepared cucumbers into jars as tightly as you can without crushing them.
Pour the brine into the jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace (that’s the amount of space between the surface of the brine and the rim of the jar). Wipe rims and apply lids and bands (don’t screw them on too tightly).
Let jars cool before putting them into the refrigerator. If you’re using canning jars and lids, note that your jars may seal during the cooling process. That doesn’t mean they’re shelf stable. Still refrigerate. Let pickles rest at least overnight before eating.