Refrigerator Pickles

Submitted by --jej on October 29, 2011 at 10:28 pm

DESCRIPTION

I make these wonderfully easy pickles for sandwiches, for accompaniments, and simply to eat occasionally. Easy, quick, and a good way to keep abreast of a burgeoning crop of cukes in the summer. I like to fill a couple of HUGE glass jars (like the big Kraft Mayo jars for institutional use) with these to last until the next growing season, but of course, they don't ever last that long. My DH doesn't even complain of the space they take in the 'fridge! And if you don't grow cukes, just buy a few. I think you'll love them.

I found this little winner in our little 'community newspaper.'

INGREDIENTS

7 c. thinly sliced green cukes (don't peel)
1 c. thinly sliced onion
1 c. thinly sliced green peppers
2 T. salt
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2 cups sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon celery seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Clean and prepare veggies as described. Sprinkle with salt and let stand for 2 hours, then drain.
2. Mix the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
3. Cool and strain. Pour over the veggies which
were drained. Store in 'fridge in jars. One recipe perhaps makes about a gallon, I think. The pickles may be used as soon as they have chilled.
4. Will keep well in the refrigerator.

While recipe says to strain the seeds from the brine, we like to leave them in. To each his / or her own.
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Here is my Refrigerator Pickles recipe I’ve been using for as far back as 1980 or before…came from an Extension Service newsletter and is in a neighboring county community cookbook put together by ladies in various extension groups:

Refrigerator Pickles

7 cups thinly sliced cucumbers
1 cup sliced onions
1 cup sliced green peppers

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon salt on top and let stand 1 hour. Drain well.

Syrup mixture:

2 cups sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 Tbsp. celery seed

Stir until sugar is dissolved. Cover cucumbers with syrup and store in refrigerator. Will keep for several months.
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And I’ve been intending to share a couple more recipes during gardening season here…the first is a freezer version of the refrigerator pickles and the second is a freezer slaw recipe…both are such a treat in the dead of winter and so simple to make.

Freezer Cucumber Pickle Slices

7 cups sliced cucumbers with skin
1 green pepper, diced or cut in strips
1 onion, diced or cut in slices

Syrup:

2 cups sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. celery seed

Pour syrup over cucumber slices and freeze. Makes (3) 1 1/2 pint boxes.
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Cole Slaw for Freezing

1 medium head cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, grated
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tsp. salt

Mix salt with cabbage, let stand 1 hour. Squeeze out excess moisture. Add carrot and pepper. While cabbage is standing, make this dressing:

1 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. celery seed
2 cups sugar

Combine ingredients and boil 1 minute. Cool to lukewarm, pour over slaw mixture, put into containers, cover and freeze. This thaws in just a few minutes for serving and leftover slaw can be refrozen easily.
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Hope you enjoy these family favorites of ours!
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reply by: swirth on July 15, 2012 at 8:34 am

This church cookbook is from 1978 so the recipes are from way before that.

Refrigerator Pickles

4 quarts sliced cucumbers
6 medium onions, sliced
2 large green peppers or 1 green/1 red, chopped or slivered
1/2 cup salt
2 trays ice cubes

Spread ice cubes over mixture and soak 3 hours. Drain and wash once.

Boil together the following for 3 minutes:

5 cups sugar
3 cups white vinegar
2 Tbsp. mustard seed
1 1/2 Tbsp. celery seed

Pour over cucumber mixture; put in jars and refrigerate.
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I liked using the ice cubes routine. I thought it made for crispier cukes. Seems like in a few years, that detail was abandoned for the more simple versions.
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reply by: Wonky on July 16, 2012 at 9:41 pm

OK dear lady...here is the recipe...hope you enjoy it.

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

6 large small seeded cucumbers..sliced l/8" thick, (do not peel)
2 med. onions sliced into rings
Dill
3 cloves garlic..quartered
1 qt. water
1 pt. white vinegar
3/4 C. Sugar
l/4 C. salt

Put onions, cucumbers and garlic in large bowl.

Combine the rest of the ingredients in a pan. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Pour over vegetables. Ladle vegetables and brine into glass or plastic containers...add desired amount of dill to each container...let cool, cover containers and refrigerate.
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reply by: Antilope on August 23, 2014 at 12:46 pm

Instructions
.
Use a jar of leftover pickle juice that is at least half full.
.
Wash and then cut up Cucumbers into any desired shape (slices, wedges, halves, etc)
and add to jar of pickle juice until it is full of sliced cucumbers.
.
If necessary add more white vinegar or cider vinegar to top off jar to submerge all of the pickle slices.

Now pour the pickle juice and pickle slices into a 1 or 2 quart saucepan.

Bring to a boil and boil at a full rolling boil for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and allow juice and pickles to cool to room temperature.

Wash out empty pickle jar and inside lid with very hot soapy water. Rinse jar and lid very well.
Add juice and pickles back into pickle jar

Place lid on jar and store in the fridge.
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reply by: Wonky on August 23, 2014 at 8:59 pm

Glad to see this back up again. I have another recipe for any who care to try it. These are really delicious. We usually can't wait the week or so to try them, and start eating them just a couple of days after making them. They are yummy then, but even better after a week or so.

Refrigerator pickles

Peel and thinly slice 5 or 6 medium cuc's

Peel and thinly slice a medium onion

Put above vegetables in heat proof container

In med sauce pan, bring to a boil the following:

2 C sugar
1 C. vinegar
1 t. salt
1 t. celery seed

Pour over veg. and let sit at room temp until cool.

Refrigerate