CSA Week 7: Refrigerator Pickles

-Chard
-Summer squash
-Fennel
-Cucumbers
-Basil
-Beans
-Weekly eggs

Small share that week–but those little cucumbers, in addition to the pile of them I’d gotten the week before, prodded me into trying a recipe I’d seen on the farm’s recipe page, for refrigerator pickles.

Fridge Pickles
Adapted from Stone Soup Farm
Brine (amounts are for 3 largish cucumbers)
* ½ head garlic, peeled and sliced (doesn’t have to be perfect)
* ½ bunch dill, cut through a few times
* 2 cups water
* 1 cup white vinegar
* 3 TBS salt

Note: I made half again this much, and ended up adding a bit of extra water after a few days when the pickles seemed too harsh.

Slice up your cucumbers into whatever shapes you prefer—I made a mixture of spears, sandwich slices and rounds, since I like pickles in a variety of contexts!

cucumbers

cucumbers for pickles

Combine the brine ingredients in a jar. I started with a quart jar but it was too small and I moved up to a larger one that I had been using to store beans and rice and things. (PSA: I nearly dropped it the first time I put it back into the fridge after taking pickles out—be careful with big glass jars covered in condensation!)

pickle brine ingredients

Add in the liquids and give a good stir or shake to get the salt dissolving, then add in the cucumbers. Cover up the jar, pop it in the fridge, and wait a few days for the brine to do its magic.

pickling

According to the recipe, “The vinegar and salt preserve this somewhat, and these will keep fine in the fridge for 2-3 weeks, possibly more.” I started munching on the spears after about a week, and the pickles taste great. We used some rounds on burgers the other night, with great success.

burger pickles

Yesterday I got a few more cucumbers in the CSA share, and I added them into the brine. You can see the effect of pickling here: The pickles that have been in brine for two weeks are the duller olive color on the left; the new additions are on the right, bright green.

I know refrigerator pickles like this aren’t rocket science, but that’s exactly why I was so pleased. I doubted that something this simple would stand up to good store bought pickles, but they are great, super easy, and incredibly cheap to make. I go for really garlicky dill pickles, and I liked being able to tweak the brine to my taste as the pickles sat in the fridge. Definitely worth a try!

8 thoughts on “CSA Week 7: Refrigerator Pickles”

  1. i hustled to fairway and bought 5lbs of kirby cucumbers this morning. seriously. so be prepared for an “homage to kate f” post in, ahem, 5 to 7 business days.

  2. i made these last weekend, and have been enjoying them all week and sharing them with my co-workers – they are wowed!thanks for sharing.

  3. I am so thankful to have found your blog – maybe you can help me?? I made a similar refrigerator pickle recipe though I boiled vinegar and spices before adding them to the cucs…when I got them all in I wanted more liquid so I just added tap water…seems like, based on your recipe, this is safe to do?? Do you know?

    Adding your blog to my list of those to check out weekly, love your photos!

  4. I’m so glad everyone is enjoying these!

    Jes–Thanks for stopping by! I’m no expert on pickling safety, but I think you’re ok as long as you’re not trying to keep the pickles forever. I think the real concern with boiling/sterilizing is if you’re canning them!

  5. my whole life my mom and grandmother always had a version of these in the fridge…mainly from summer through fall. we had them with every single meal! my mom preferred more sugar, while i tend to go with my granma, otie’s, version with more salt. i’m going to try this recipe to share with the neighbors. I have a TON of cucumbers right now.

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