Refrigerator pickles are one of my favorite parts of the summertime bounty of fresh produce. You can pickle just about anything, and once you start pickling things, you will find an almost endless array of spices and flavors that you can add. And it's so easy!
What's the difference between regular pickles and refrigerator pickles?
Regular pickles have been through a hot water canning bath, properly canned and sealed and the whole big process. This means that regular pickles are shelf stable, you can keep an unopened jar essentially forever in your pantry. However, they are also a lot more complicated to make, there is always the risk of killing someone with botulism, and the heat involved means that the pickles themselves are less crunchy.
By comparison, to make refrigerator pickles, all you have to do is put a bunch of stuff in a jar and stick it in the fridge. Within 24 hours your pickles will be ready to eat. They have to be kept in the refrigerator, and eaten within a week. But they are crunchier than regular pickles, and in my experience, it is not hard to eat them within a week!
What can you turn into refrigerator pickles?
Cucumbers, obviously. I have also pickled cauliflower, string beans, carrots, asparagus, carrot spears, baby corn, and red bell pepper spears. They all turned out delicious! (Incidentally, if you add garlic cloves, they will be delicious and add great flavor, but they will also turn blue. It's a harmless chemical reaction and they are safe to eat, but some people find it… off-putting.)
Refrigerator pickle recipes
- Here's a basic recipe. It's a little plain, but there's a good chance you have all the ingredients on hand already.
- Garlic dill refrigerator pickles. Now we're talking!
- Refrigerator pickles. This recipe uses pickling spice, which is a spice blend you can find at the store. I have had great success using pickling spice blend for basic refrigerator pickles.
Image courtesy Flickr/sleepyneko
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