This summer my family has had the great privilege of working in the pioneer garden at Troy Historic Village. The kids have been learning all about different vegetables, how to grow the old fashioned way, a lot of patience (don’t want to step on the plants while weeding!), and they’ve especially been learning to serve the community for the greater good.
These past couple of weeks we’ve had a huge abundance of cucumbers & green beans. So many in fact that the village has been donating them to our elementary school where each week our community comes together and takes advantage of a food bank some of our parents, school officials & teachers have put together. We receive donations from anonymous sources as well as stores & even restaurants in the area. Hundreds of people from our community, including myself benefit from this community endeavor. It’s amazing. I hope other cities will take note.
Although I love cucumbers in certain dishes (hello gyro’s!) I simply can’t eat them fast enough. I LOVE pickled foods so I figured I’d give refrigerator pickles a try. I tested out several recipes over the past couple of weeks & I think I’ve finally put together the perfect one. The following is a small recipe meant for only 6 pint jars or 3 quart jars. You’ll use up about 10-12 medium sized cucumbers. These pickles are so much better than store bought! There’s no artificial colors or flavors & the pickles are super crisp and the chips are perfect on burgers! They also make an awesome gift to give neighbors & friends!
Part of this post includes sponsored content. All opinions, recipes, and text here are my own. Your experience may vary.
You will need the following ingredients:
1 3/4 cups white vinegar
4 cups of water
1.5 – 2 Tbsp. Sea Salt (if you want lower sodium go for 1 Tbsp. Normal, go for 2).
1 medium onion cut into 6 pieces.
6 garlic cloves (skin off, smashed just a little to help bring out flavors)
10-12 medium cucumbers
12-24 sprigs of dill (If bought packed, one package is more than enough).
This recipe will just fill 6 pint jars or 3 quart & no more.
Instructions:
Combine vinegar, water, & sea salt in a pot & bring to a boil. Make sure salt is completely dissolved. Turn off heat, let cool completely.
While liquid is cooling wash & cut your cucumbers any way you’d like. We did 3 jars of pickle chips & 3 jars of spears.
Put 1/6th of your onion & 1 clove of garlic in each jar.
Stuff your pickles in the jar, before putting in the last few pieces make sure to put your dill sprigs inside the jar. I like to stuff then on the side so they don’t all end up on the bottom. The more dill you use the more powerful your flavors will be so it’s up to you how much to use. (I cut the bottoms off my sprigs & then use 2 or 3 in each jar)
Pour your liquid in and seal. Refrigerate for at least 4 or 5 days before eating. 5 days is prime.
Your pickles should last around 6 weeks as long as you keep them refrigerated. They’ll get stronger as the days go on.
Tip: You can use the same liquid to pickle peppers! When we’re done we reuse the liquid left in the jar & throw in a few new cucumbers or peppers (but make sure to still use the jar up within that 6 week time frame we began at to be safe).
Get Your Pickling Supplies at Meijer
FYI: While I was at Meijer getting ready for our trip to Michigan’s Adventure picking up a bunch of summer essentials like sunscreen & a couple extra beach towels I was also able to grab a few things I needed for my pickles, like dill, garlic, & onions. They also have canning jars if you need those. I was able to use a “deal” on their mPerks app to make all my pickle supplies virtually free and lo’ and behold they also had a coupon for dill! Make sure you read my guide on how to use their mPerks app/program so that you’re making the most of your money. –> Meijer mPerks101: How to Download Use and Save if you’re in a Meijer state it’s definitely worth the time!
Part of this post include sponsored content. All opinions, recipes, and text here are my own. Your experience may vary.
When you say seal it…. do you mean you have to boil the canning jars?
Hi Christen,
Nope. No boiling involved. I just meant put the cover/lid on the jar & close it tight. Just put them in the fridge & in 5 days they’re ready to eat like regular pickles. 🙂
Can you boil the jars so they keep longer?
Sorry Shoni, just now saw your question.This recipe was strictly made for refrigerator pickles. If you’re familiar with regular canning you could suit this recipe to that but you’d have to do it by adding hot liquid to the jar etc.. and do the proper steps.