Homemade Refrigerator Pickles

(Small batch- 1 jar)

Jar of Cucumbers cut up in the brine

Do you have an abundance of cucumbers from your garden? If so then here is an easy and delicious way to transform them into something really tasty. This recipe only requires 3 hours and up to 2 days of the cucumbers sitting in the brine in your fridge before you can enjoy or share them with family and friends. If you would like to double or triple the recipe just be sure to have enough jars and the other ingredients. This would be a fun recipe to do with children as well, just as long as you assist them with the knife cutting and the red pepper flakes.

Ingredients for the Homemade Refrigerator Pickles

Ingredients photo

• 1 small pint jar or 16 oz. jar

• 1 cutting board

• large bowl or container that will hold 16 oz. of liquid

• 1 knife

• Measuring cups, spoons, etc.

• 2-3 small cucumbers or 1 med-large cucumber (depends on spear or chip cut for cucumbers)

• 1/2 cup room temp water

• 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup or honey (use a bit more if you prefer sweeter pickle)

• 1/4-1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

• 1/2 cup vinegar (prefer rice but can use white)

• 2-3 leafy sprigs of fresh dill

• 2-3 garlic cloves (smashed after peeling)

• 20-25 twists of fresh ground pepper

• 1 Bay leaf

Directions:

1. Gather all the supplies and ingredients listed above

2. Cut up the cucumbers how you would like, either in spears or round chip size for pickles (we chose the spear cut)

Cucumbers cut up into spears

3. Make your brine. Whisk together water, vinegar, pepper, syrup or other sweetener, red pepper flakes, salt and whisk till salt is dissolved. Let this sit while doing next step.

4. Cut up the leafy sprigs of dill (throw away stems) and set aside

5. Peel the skin off and smash the garlic to release its flavor and set aside

6. Take your cucumber spears or chips cut up and put them in your jar or other container (see photo below)

Pickles in jar with dill and garlic nearby

7. Place the bay leaf down inside the jar

8. Put the dill and garlic cloves on top of the pickles or inside the jar depending on where space allows

9. Pour your brine into the jar onto your pickles

10. Put the lid on the jar or other container and put them in the fridge for 3 hours up to 48 hours depending on your taste buds

We enjoyed ours after 24 hours of them sitting in the brine but on day 2 and day 3 of the pickles being in the brine they were just as tasty. This is an easy recipe you can do for yourself or perhaps with children to engage them in how to transform vegetables from the garden to something delicious - homemade refrigerator pickles.