Make these refrigerator cucumber pickles using fresh cucumbers from the garden. They will keep in the fridge for several months, and you can enjoy them on sandwiches and burgers, in salads, or right out of the jar. To spice them up, add a hot chili pepper to each jar of pickles before storing. If you plan to use several small jars instead of one or two larger ones, consider doubling the amount of vinegar, sugar, salt, and celery seeds so there will be enough brine to fill each jar.
Yield: About 2 quarts pickles
Ingredients
- 7 cups thinly sliced cucumbers
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 ½ cups vinegar
- 1 tablespoon celery seeds
- 1 tablespoon salt
Instructions
- Combine sugar, vinegar, and salt in a small pot. Heat on medium-low just until sugar is dissolved; let cool.
- Place cucumber, bell pepper, and onion in a large bowl and toss to combine. Divide evenly into glass jars.
- Add celery seeds to the cooled vinegar mixture. Pour into glass jars and seal with lids. Store in the refrigerator, allowing pickles to sit for at least a day before eating.
- If you find yourself eating them rather quickly (which won't be hard to do), you can slice more cucumbers and add them to the brine. Just be sure to let them sit for at least a day and discard the brine after 3 months if continually adding new slices.
Featured Ingredient: Boston Pickling Cucumbers
With thin, vibrant green skin and crisp flesh the high yielding Boston Pickling Cucumber is a favorite among cooks and gardeners alike. As the name suggests, this cucumber is an excellent choice for—you guessed it—pickling! They are full of health benefits too: They're high in vitamins A, B, and C, and can help keep you hydrated due to their high water content. What's more, cucumbers can help fight heartburn when eaten, or relieve sunburn when the flesh is applied to your skin. Cucumber plants grow in either bush or vine form. This particular variety grows as a vine, and is best for gardens that have room for a trellis. Cucumbers are heat loving plants, so let us teach you how to grow cucumbers in your garden this summer!.
Recipe adapted from Southern and Then Some, a cookbook of the Alabama Farmers Cooperative, Inc.