If you want to make homemade pickles, you'll want to check out this refrigerator pickle recipe for details on how to make crisp, delicious pickles without bothering with canning. These pickles must be stored in the refrigerator at all times and must be used within two months, so be sure to make them in small batches. If you grow your own cucumbers, grow the ones specified as pickling cukes: They will be crisp and tasty.
You can buy refrigerator pickling spice packets at grocery stores and some farmer's markets. These spice packets make the pickling process much easier and will give you a variety of flavors to choose from, such as dill, bread and butter, sweet and spicy, or sweet pickles. If you want to make your own pickling spice mix, try the following recipe:
Refrigerator Pickle Spice Mix Recipe
Ingredients You Will Need:
½ cup sugar
½ cup kosher salt
�" cup fresh dill weed (packed tight)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons mustard seed
1 teaspoon peppercorns
Combine the spices together just before making pickles.
Refrigerator Pickle Recipe
Ingredients You Will Need:
3 cups white vinegar
Pickling spice mix listed above
Sterilize your pickle jars by boiling them in hot water for 10 minutes.
Wash the cucumbers, and then soak them in an ice water bath for two hours. After two hours of soaking, slice the pickles into either quarters or in slices, depending on how you like them.
Bring 3 cups of vinegar to a slow boil in a glass or coated metal pot (do not use a metal pot, as it will react with the vinegar) and add spice mix listed above. Mix well.
Pack the cucumbers into the jars as tightly as you can, and then pour the simmering pickling mix into the jars on top of the pickles. Cover the jars, and let the jars rest for a few hours, until the pickles reach room temperature. Then, put them in the refrigerator, and leave them for one week before eating them.
 | Pickles require specific measures. To create a great batch of pickles, make sure you use the proper ingredients and tools. Though vinegar and salt are used, pickles still must be boiled in an open water bath to kill the enzymes that cause spoilage. Earmark hollow or odd-shaped cucumbers for relish and use only pickling cucumbers. |
 | Dill pickles are a fabulous snack, easy to eat and fun to make. If you've got a little room in your garden, you can easily grow enough cucumbers to make jars and jars of dill pickles. |
Pickled onions take only a few minutes to make, and they are delicious on sandwiches and in salads. |
Crunchy bread and butter pickles perk up any sandwich. There's no need to run to the grocery store to enhance your lunchtime meal. You can create your own pickles for canning with bread and butter pickles recipes that are sure to make your taste buds smile. |
Lemon Cukes are the shape, size, and color of a lemon but have a sweet and mild flavor. These are heirlooms and were introduced in 1894. |
