Making pickles doesn’t have to involve canning.You can make great pickles right inyour refrigerator! Here are some I made recently, based on recipes from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving and Canning for a New Generation.
Easy Bread and Butter Refrigerator Pickles based on Ball
Makes about 4 pint jars or 2 quart jars
1/4 c. pickling spice (see below or buy pre-made from the store)
6 c. pickling cucumbers (the little ones), cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 onion, peeled and sliced in 1/4 inch slices
3 c. white vinegar
2/3 c. granulated sugar
2 T. pickling or canning salt, or pure Kosher salt
1 T. prepared horseradish
1 T. celery seeds
1 T. Pickle Crisp (TM) if you have it (keeps pickles crispy)
2 t. ground ginger
1 t. ground turmeric
1. If you have cheesecloth, tie the spices in some cheesecloth to make a spice bag. If you don’t, don’t worry about it, just get all your spices together.
2. In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine cucumbers and onions.
3. In a medium non-reactive saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, salt, horseradish, celery seeds, Pickle Crisp, ginger, turmeric, and your spice bag (or just throw the spices in there). Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat, cover, and boil gently for 5 minutes.
4. Pour pickling liquid over cucumber mixture. Cover with waxed paper or paper towel and set aside until cooled to room temperature, at least 30 minutes. Discard spice bag if you used one.
5. Pack cucumbers and onions into clean glass jars to within a generous 1/2 inch from the top. Ladle pickling liquid into the jar to cover the vegetables, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Apply clean lids. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving. For best results, allow cucumbers to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks and use within three months.
Pickling Spice from Canning for a New Generation
Combine as many of these as you have in an airtight container. I replaced some of the whole spices with ground…don’t tell the recipe police.
1 T. black mustard seeds
1 T. yellow mustard seeds
1 T. allspice berries, crushed
1 T. dill seeds
1/2 T. whole cloves
1 dried red chili, crushed
3 cinnamon sticks, crushed
1/2 nutmeg, crushed
3 bay leaves, crumbled
1 t. black peppercorns
1 t. whole coriander seeds
1 t. cardamom pods, crushed
1/2 star anise pod, crushed
