Refrigerator Pickles, No Canning Necessary!

      I have cucumbers coming out of my ears and I am running out of ideas for their total consumption. This month I have made bread and butter sweet pickles, hamburger dills, sweet relish, dill relish, and creamed cucumber salad.

     My family really likes Claussen's crunchy dill pickles and last year I had to make 2 batches so we wouldn't run out in a week. Now we are overwhelmed with cucumbers and I grabbed my apron and got to work.

     First off, gather all your cucumbers together and wash off the bits of dirt and inspect for bruises and bugs. You can cut the cucumbers into quarters, halves, or just leave them whole. I cut off the ends and cut them to the size of the jars (pints or quarts).

Chopping away!

     For my own sanity and the ability to make a good guess as to how much I have I grab a clean jar of whatever size you will be using and stuff the slices in. You need to do this nice and tight so you can make the right amount of brine. I throw the measured cucumbers into a bowl and repeat as many times as it takes to use them all up. I ended up with 5 quarts which I split into 1-quart jar and 8-pint jars. As usual, clean the jars in soapy water and dry. Now I filled up the sink with hot water and let the jars sit in the water to keep them warm.

Stuff it--Stuff it real good!

     Fun part ahead - Making the brine. It takes 1 part vinegar, 2 parts water, dill seed/weed, garlic, pickling spices for kosher pickles, and salt. Combine all of these in a large pot and bring to a boil.

Grab one of the jars from the hot water and begin cramming that bugger as full as you did when you were measuring them. Don't be afraid to bend, squish, wiggle and shout just so long as they get into the jar. Now if you have any cucumbers that were too tall for the jar now would be the time to chop them down to fit. I had to do it a few times--no body's perfect. 

Awesome!

     Last year I found the coolest thing. Ball makes plastic covers for freezing or refrigerator use--not for processing! Since we will not be cooking these pickles, there is no need to worry. After pushing all you can into their new tiny little living space, you have to cover them with the hot brine. Use a canning funnel to help decrease splashes and spills. Fill the jars to about 1-inch head space and cap them.

     After topping off all of the jars and twisting a lid let them sit on the counter for a bit to bring down the temperature. This helps keep the integrity of the glass by not shocking them from hot to cold fast.

Then put them in the fridge, easy peasy.

Aren't They Pretty

     These pickles will taste better if you let them sit for about 2 weeks, but this doesn't happen in our house. They will keep for about 6 months in the fridge and you can enjoy them all the way through the season and well afterwards. So without further ado, here are the specs...

Makes 2 Quarts or 4 Pints

3 1/2 pounds of pickling cucumbers, cut in quarters halves or whole.

2 cups of water

1 cup of vinegar (5% acidity)

2 tablespoons of canning salt (salt without iodine or caking ingredients)

2 larger cloves of garlic chopped finely

1 teaspoon of dill seed/weed, whichever you prefer or have available

2  teaspoons of black peppercorns

Cut pickles and measure for height and fill capacity. Combine vinegar, water, garlic, and spices in a large pot and bring to a boil. After the mixture has reached a boil you can turn the heat off. Take pre-warmed jars and stuff the cut pickles into the jar as full as you can. Ladle hot brine over the pickles to 1-inch head space. Cover and set aside for about 30 minutes. Store in a refrigerator for at least 2 weeks to meld the flavors. You can store up to 9 months.