There are many times when we find ourselves flush with cucumbers. It could come from a great backyard harvest, a CSA delivery, or a sale at the local grocery store.

Creating refrigerator pickles is a great way to take advantage of this abundance.

I must confess that I do not can foods. I just have never gotten around to it. But I love pickles and other veggies pickled (think beets, cabbage and even carrots). So, I decided a few years ago that I would just make refrigerator pickles and skip the canning step.

This recipe is a very quick and simple way to make fantastic dill pickles in a matter of minutes. They do not have as long a shelf life as canned pickles, but I’m ok with that.

I decided to make a recipe with smaller batches in mind.

• The quantities listed will fill one large mason jar (32 oz) or 3-4 smaller jars.
• The brine can easily be doubled, tripled or even halved.
• These pickles have a shelf life of about 3 months.

Preparation

To make the best pickles, keep these points in mind:

• Use fresh crisp cucumbers.
• Use fresh dill and garlic.
• You can smash the garlic before putting it in the jar, or just leave it whole. Smashed garlic will release more garlic flavour.
• You can leave the ends on the cucumbers if you like.
• I like to use kosher or pickling salt – do not use table salt because it has other additives in it and will make your brine taste overly salty.
• Before starting, clean all of your utensils well in hot soapy water or the dishwasher. Dry everything well.
• Wash and dry the cucumbers and the dill.

Other Flavour Options

• Feel free to add mustard seeds to the jar (beige seeds are the mildest, black are the hottest). I usually add about 1/4 teaspoon to this recipe.
• Want a spicy kick? Add pepper flakes or whole hot peppers to the mix.

Tips

• Try to fill the jar snugly with cucumbers. I like to cut them into spears. If they are not snug, they will float to the top and will not be covered in brine.
• This recipe calls for boiling the brine before putting it in the jar of cucumbers. This helps to dissolve the salt. Once poured into the jar, let the jar cool before putting into the fridge.
• You may notice that the jar lid (mason jar lid) looks like it has sealed just like when canning. Don’t be fooled, it is not canned. It still needs to be stored in the fridge.
• You do not need to use mason jars. Any glass jar with lid will work. Make sure that the lid does not have any rust on it.
• Let rest in the fridge for 2 days before tasting.

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Refrigerator Pickles Recipe

Print Recipe

Servings	Prep Time	Cook Time
1 Jar	10 minutes	0

DIRECTIONS