REFRIGERATOR PICKLES (WITH MANY VEGGIE OPTIONS)

By Ana Larramendi

Gluten-Free, Vegan*
Approximately 3 Pints:
Dilly Beans, Pickled Peppers-pepperoncini style,
Dill or Spicy Cucumber slices.
 
Aaahh! It’s the end of summer and the garden is exploding with more vegetables than you can possibly eat! Traditionally, this was the time to preserve the summer harvest--Canning Season-- Many old farmsteads had separate canning kitchens in porches or out-buildings so as not to heat the house with hours of pressure cookers or canning pots boiling away. But what if you only have enough veggies for 1 or 2 jars? What if the whole “canning” thing intimidates you? Well, it’s time to discover the joys of refrigerator pickles! Easy-peasy! These recipes will give you ready-to-eat snacks that last 2-3 months in your refrigerator!
 
Mixed peppers ready for pickled peppers!

I am including a traditional recipe which will give you a nice dill pickle flavor with a crystal clear brine. Then I am including a second pickling solution which has far more complex flavors, but will leave you with a slightly murkier brine because of the cider vinegar, honey and turmeric.

Ingredients:
Pickling Brine#1 (traditional)
4 C. White vinegar
8 teas. Kosher salt (2 TB + 2 Teas)
¼ C. White sugar
4 large cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 teas. Yellow mustard seed
1 teas. Brown mustard seed
1 teas. Dill seed
1 teas. Coriander seed
6-8 Dried Allspice berries
Sliced red onions and fresh dill sprigs* (optional)
About 6+ C. loosely measured vegetable of choice:
 
Pickling Brine#2 (Spicy & slightly sweet)
3 C. White vinegar
1 C. Cider vinegar
8 teas. Kosher salt (2 TB + 2 Teas)
6-8 TB Honey or Brown sugar
6-8 large cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 teas. Yellow mustard seed
1 teas. Brown mustard seed
1 teas. Dill seed
1 teas. Coriander seed
½ teas. Turmeric
6-8 Dried Allspice berries
½ Teas. Red pepper flakes or 3-4 sliced chilies
Sliced red onions* (optional)
About 6+C. loosely measured vegetable of choice:
 
VEGGIES:
-Green beans or wax beans, washed, stems removed.
-Baby carrots (no more than 1/3 inch diameter) cleaned and topped.
-Mixed colorful baby peppers, washed, with a slit cut on the side so they take-in the brine instead of float.
-Cauliflower washed and cut into small florets.
-little pickling cucumbers, whole, ½ inch diameter.
-Your choice of mixed veggies (make sure they are similar in size and density)
- Sliced cucumbers. Washed, ends removed. *(Note different instructions for sliced cucumber pickles)
 
Instructions:
You will need 3 thoroughly cleaned Pint jars with tight lids ready. Prep your veggies so they are washed and ready as well. Measure out all your dry spices including the salt and sugar--add the chopped garlic on top-set aside in a small bowl.
In a 2-3 Quart stainless saucepan heat the 4 cups of vinegar(s) and add all the spices & garlic. If you are using honey, add it to the vinegar now. Bring this mixture to a boil. Boil for one minute.
 
Now dump in all your prepped veggies (except if you are using sliced cucumbers-see instructions later). Give this mixture a stir and wait for it to return to a full boil. Once it has returned to a boil, reduce to a medium simmer and boil for 2 MINUTES ONLY.
 
Turn off the heat. Now, with a slotted spoon, fill the pint jars with the veggies, packing them slightly without squishing them.
 
At this point you can layer,(in between spoonful’s of veggies) slices of red onion or fresh dill sprigs if you are using them. (Great for cucumbers!)
 
Fill all the jars with veggies leaving about 1 inch of space from the top. Now finish by pouring the hot pickling brine over the veggies till the liquid is within ½ inch space from the jar rim. Top each of the veggie filled jars with the brine. Put on the lid, tighten and refrigerate. Tastes best if you let the vegetables steep in the brine for at least one day.
 
CUCUMBER SLICES*--Instructions:
Gotta love refrigerator cucumber slices, they are the easiest of easy! Because they are very porous once they are sliced, you don’t want to boil them in the brine or else they will fall apart.
So cucumber slices get treated differently.
First, I recommend you choose smaller cucumbers, or medium-sized pickling cucumbers. Slice them in quarter inch thick slices and layer them in your pint jars with dill sprigs, sliced red onion and, if you want, a couple of whole red serrano chilies (very pretty in the jar!) to add a little heat. Once all your jars are packed within 1 inch from the rim, assemble your brine ingredients in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Boil the brine mix for 1 minute. Then pour the boiling mixture over the sliced cucumbers, filling with liquid to the top. Top off each jar with brine, put on the lid and tighten. Refrigerate. That’s it!! Let the cucumbers steep in the brine at least 2 days before you start snacking…if you can resist!
 
Notes:
Safety Notes: All refrigerator pickles must be refrigerated at all times. Since they are not heat processed and sealed in a water bath, they ARE NOT shelf stable!
Vinegar and salt have great preserving qualities and make an unfriendly environment for harmful bacteria. If you water down the brine by mixing water with the vinegar (some people prefer a less vinegary brine) your refrigerator pickles may only be safe for eating 1-2 weeks. I have eaten pickles made with these brine recipes up to 4 months after preparation and they tasted great. However, remember they have no preservatives, so I would say the safe time would be 2-3 months tops. To preserve freshness make sure the vegetables are fully submerged in the brine. Parts exposed to air are more prone to spoil.
 
Brine #1 is great for dilly beans and pickles.
Brine #2 is excellent for cauliflower, carrots and pepperoncini-style peppers.
 
After topping the jars, you may have a tiny amount of brine left over, set it aside--particularly if you are pickling peppers--they may need to be topped with extra brine after they have settled--check 1 hour after packing.
 
For larger quantities you can multiply the recipe.
You can also buy pre-mixed pickling spice mix and use about 1 TB spice mix with 2 Teas. Kosher salt per 2 Cups of vinegar.
 
Make sure to use Kosher or canning salt. Table or Sea Salt will cloud your canning brine.