When I was younger I distinctly remember eating jars of pickles. They were a staple in my parents house and they were a quick and easy snack. I still love pickles and I’ve passed that love of pickles onto my children. As the years have gone on I’ve become more and more label conscious and we try to avoid artificial dyes especially in food where it seems completely unnecessary like pickles. Does it really need Yellow 5 in it? The answer is a FIRM no for me. That left me searching for a better which came in the form of a facebook friend posting about refrigerator pickles. It caught my eye for three reasons.
- I love pickles
- It takes 24-48 hours to be “done” but tastes delicious even an hour after
- The pickles weren’t neon green
What’s not to love?! It didn’t take me long before I headed to the Farmer’s Market to pick up pickling cucumbers so I could make my own dill refrigerator pickles.
The first time we made them I used these quart jars, but I wish I would have used these instead. The easier to grab them, my dear!
In your quart jar mix together 1 1/2 cups water, 3 tablespoons white vinegar, 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher slat, 2 teaspoons black peppercorns, 5 cloves of garlic, 6 sprigs of fresh dill and 1 bay leaf.
Grab your pickling cucumbers, they’re the ones that are short, fat and firm! Slice them into either coins or spears depending on your preference. I did a combination of both. I like them both but I prefer spears for snacking purposes.
Add your cucumbers to your jar, you want to really stuff that jar. The more you stuff it the more the water rises so all the cucumbers will be well covered. Put your lid on the jar and shake it all around as you walk towards the refrigerator. If you can manage to not eat the whole jar before they’re officially ready in 24-48 hours, I applaud you. We tried our first pickle after about an hour and even with the cucumbers being in the brine for only an hour they were still amazing. 24 hours later they’re even better and 48 hours later they’re too good not to eat the entire jar.
These dill refrigerator pickles come together in less than ten minutes and are well worth the wait and I will *never* buy pickles again. Hello saving money, goodbye yellow 5!
Ingredients
Directions
- In a large quart jar add 1 1/2 cups water, 3 tablespoons white vinegar, 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, 2 teaspoons black peppercorns, 5 cloves garlic, 6 large sprigs fresh dill and 1 bay leaf.
- Put the lid on your mason jar and swirl around to make sure everything is all mixed up.
- Slice up your pickling cucumbers and add them to your jar. Put the lid back on and shake the jar to make sure the water gets everywhere.
- Refrigerate for 24-48 hours.
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