Refrigerator Pickles
Submitted by durogers
Refrigerator pickles made with sliced cucumbers and onions in a sweet vinegar brine with turmeric, mustard seeds, and celery seeds. No canning required. Keeps for 4 months in the fridge, and you can add fresh vegetables anytime.
YIELD
1 gallonPREP
10 minCOOK
0 minREADY
10 minNo boiling water bath, no sterilized jars, no pressure canner. These refrigerator pickles are the easiest way to turn a gallon of sliced cucumbers and onions into crisp, tangy, sweet pickles that keep for up to four months in the fridge.
The brine is a simple hot pour: white vinegar, sugar, pickling salt, turmeric, mustard seeds, and celery seeds heated until dissolved, then poured directly over the sliced vegetables in a gallon jar. The turmeric gives the pickles their golden-yellow tint, and the mustard and celery seeds add a warm, slightly peppery crunch.
The best part? This is a living pickle jar. Add fresh cucumber and onion slices anytime the jar gets low, and the brine keeps doing its job.
Kitchen Tips
- Use pickling salt, not table salt. Table salt contains anti-caking agents that cloud the brine.
- Slice the cucumbers thin and uniform so they pickle evenly. A mandoline works well here.
- Let the brine cool slightly before pouring over the cucumbers if you want them to stay extra crunchy. Boiling-hot brine softens them faster.
- The pickles taste good after a day but get better after a week as the flavors deepen.
Variations
- Add sliced green chili peppers (as suggested in the recipe) for a spicy kick.
- Toss in sliced carrots, cauliflower florets, or green beans for a mixed vegetable pickle.
- Use apple cider vinegar instead of white for a mellower, slightly fruity tang.
Ingredients
Directions
Thinly slice the cucumbers and onions into a gallon jar.
Heat the other ingredients in a large pot.
Pour over the vegetables. Store covered in the refrigerator.
New vegetables may be added at any time.
Keeps for 4 months.
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