Dill Pickles

Somehow, something happened in the garden this year and there has been a bumper crop of cucumbers.  I planted two plants one a European type and the other a “Boston Pickling” (Cucumis sativus) heirloom pickler.  The European cuke has been prolific, with plenty to eat and give away. The pickler has done well too and I have been piling them into the refrigerator .  My garden is not large and I keep it growing in succession with distinct spring, summer and fall crops and usually produce enough vegetables just to eat and to give away.  Canning to preserve large amounts of food is something that my mom always did, and it always seemed to be a lot of work!  I’d rather spend the time in the yard trying to get the garden to produce as many months out of the year as possible!  But with the large amount of cucumbers and family and friends beginning to get burned out on them for every meal, I had to do something . . .

Brining with vinegar, sugar and salt has been used for centuries as a way to preserve vegetables. Canning them in sterilized jars is a rather new invention that takes away the (sometimes desired) possibility of fermentation and lengthens the time vegetables can be held regardless (mostly) of temperature.  Luckily, these days we can control temperature well enough that fermentation can be slowed down. It is not necessary to can small amounts of vegetables to keep them around long enough to be able to consume them all.  This all adds up to the refrigerator pickle, a way to keep your vegetables from rotting long enough to eat them all!  Although this recipe is for cucumbers, it should work for any vegetable such as peppers (sweet or hot), cauliflower and broccoli, fennel, whatever you might like.  Since people seem to want to know the “shelf life” of their food, I’ll peg it at 3 to 6 months, but just eat them anyway!  The worst that will happen is a little fermentation or a little mushiness.  The pickles, however, will not be around long enough for you to notice any real problems; they are just too good.

The Boston Pickling cucumber can be a little fatter than some other picklers, which makes it good for slicing.  Slicing also means the pickles will be pickled much faster, but leaving them whole can extend their life a bit (and will probably change the recipe).  I like to use a Mandoline Slicer for slice consistency, but it doesn’t really matter that much.  They can be stored in any non-reactive container, but I like big 1/2 Gallon Ball Mason Jars.  They look cool, fit in the refrigerator door shelf perfectly, and can be used to store lots of other things when the pickles are gone.  So without further ado-

Dill Pickles

Yield: 1/2 gallon

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10 cups sliced cucumbers

1/2 cup sliced sweet onion

1-1/2 cups distilled white vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

4 teaspoons salt

3 sprigs fresh dill

3/4 teaspoon mustard seed

1 bay leaf

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1. Bring the vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil.

2. Place the cucumbers, onion, dill, mustard seed and bay leaf in a large bowl.

3. Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumbers.  Stir.  The vinegar will not cover the cucumbers.

4. Stir occasionally.  The cucumbers will release moisture and soon they will be covered with liquid.

5. After about 2 hours they can be placed in the jar with all the liquid, covered and refrigerated.

 

Simple!

Feel free to substitute any other vegetables, or change seasonings.  Celery seed, peppercorns, dill seed, fennel seed and coriander are all possibilities.  You can also adjust the sugar if you desire.  These are slightly sweeter than store-bought dills, but I wouldn’t consider them a sweet pickle.  Refrigerator pickles are very forgiving and having the perfect formula isn’t as important is getting the flavor just how you like it. Have fun!