Crisp and Tangy Refrigerator Pickles: Homemade Delights

Pickles, Kinda, Sorta 🥒

Overview:

🕒 Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
🥄 Servings: 2 quarts
🥗 Category: Vegetable
🔍 Keywords: Weeknight, Refrigerator, Stove Top, < 4 Hours

Ingredients:

• 2 cucumbers
• 2 onions
• 4-8 garlic cloves
• 1-2 hot peppers
• 1-2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon dried dill weed
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon pickling spice
• 2 teaspoons dill seed

Nutritional Information (per serving):

• Calories: 575.3
• Fat Content: 0.9g
• Saturated Fat Content: 0.2g
• Cholesterol Content: 0mg
• Sodium Content: 3511.4mg
• Carbohydrate Content: 137.2g
• Fiber Content: 5.3g
• Sugar Content: 115.2g
• Protein Content: 5.6g

Instructions:

1. Preparation: Combine cucumbers, onions, garlic, hot peppers, and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Allow them to sit for 1 hour, tossing occasionally.

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2. Seasoning: After 1 hour, pour off the accumulated liquid and sprinkle the mixture with dried dill weed. Toss gently as you add the dill. Let it sit for an additional 1-2 hours, tossing occasionally.

3. Draining: Transfer the mixture to a colander and let it drain for 5 minutes. Taste the cucumbers, and if they are too salty, rinse them and allow them to drain for another 5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning by adding more dill weed to taste.

4. Optional Munching: At this point, the cucumbers are quite edible. If you can’t resist, go ahead and start munching! They taste great as they are.

5. Marinade Preparation: While the vegetables are marinating, combine vinegar, sugar, pickling spice, and dill seed in a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Continue to simmer until you’re almost satisfied with the intensity of the flavor. Be careful not to let the marinade get too strong. Remove from heat.

6. Final Touch: Once the vegetables have finished draining, return the vinegar mixture to high heat until it just boils. Strain the vinegar mixture onto the vegetables and toss thoroughly several times.

7. Refrigeration: Refrigerate the pickles in a covered plastic container for at least 24 hours, tossing or shaking occasionally. If the pickles become too spicy due to the hot peppers, you can remove them.

8. Storage: If you plan to use the pickles within a few months, store them in the refrigerator. Alternatively, ladle them into small plastic freezer containers and freeze.

9. Serving: To serve, defrost the pickles if frozen and serve them chilled. Enjoy the crispiness and tanginess of these delightful homemade pickles!

Tips and Tricks:

• These pickles taste somewhat like bread and butter pickles but with a crunchier texture.
• Don’t forget to enjoy the onions and garlic; they’re not just for seasoning but add fantastic flavor to the pickles.
• Feel free to adjust the amount of onions and garlic according to your preference—they’re delicious on their own!

Storage and Shelf Life:

These pickles will keep for at least a couple of months in the fridge, likely even longer. The flavor only improves with time, making them a perfect make-ahead snack or addition to your meals. Just remember that if you freeze them, they may lose some of their crunchiness, but they’ll still taste delicious!