Transform Cucumbers Into Pickles: Easier Than You Think!

One of the most popular ways to take advantage of a bounty of cucumbers is to can homemade pickles since they’re always appreciated on the dinner table.

If you’re a little inexperienced when it comes to home canning, making pickles is one of the easiest and less fussy ways to gain experience and they’re so much tastier than store bought too!

If you don’t garden, check out the local farmer’s market where you’re sure to find a good source for large amounts of small cucumbers at a fair price.

This Recipe Hit List is an assortment of goodies I’ve hand-picked from around the ‘net featuring sweet, spicy and garlic-y varieties–each promising to please!

I also added an easy refrigerator pickles recipe at the bottom as well as directions for pickling peppers and eggs, enjoy!

*Note: Descriptions below are quotes from the sources

1. Bread & Butter: A mini tutorial for anyone who wants to make the best, best, best, Bread & Butter Pickles! The recipe came from my Aunty Bonnie’s webpage and she’s tweaked it over the years to perfection 🙂 She’s not exact with her measurements (must run in the family) so a little extra of this, or not enough of that, is okay. Recipe from Canadian Crafter.
2. Bread And Butter: I was watching Tyler Florence’s cooking show on TV a couple of weeks ago. He shared a recipe for Bread and Butter pickles, which was so easy to make that I had to try out the recipe at home. I made a small batch and had the pickles after 2 days in the brine. It tasted really good, I like the freshness and the crunchiness of the pickles. Try it. Found at Seasaltwithfood.
3. Classic Bread & Butter: No Canning Required! This recipe produces classic bread and butter pickles—the kind my mom used to make every summer when I was a little mouse. They’re sweet. They’re tangy. They have a fabulous crunch. Like my Quick, Fresh Pickles, there’s no canning required for these babies (in fact, they just need an overnight soak in the fridge). And, honestly, they don’t need to be canned. This recipe only uses about 4 pickling cucumbers. Your pickles will keep for a few weeks in the fridge—which is more than ample time to gobble them up. Found at The Hungry Mouse.
4. Half Sour, All Awesome: I am still amazed at how easy it is to make these pickles – if you’re the kind of person who feels that no self-respecting deli should be without a barrel of brined pickles just begging to be fished out and sliced, you owe it to yourself to give these little guys a shot. The crunch and the bite of the pickles are a wonderful reward for doing it yourself, and the cost of the ingredients is still less than what you would pay in the store for a decent alternative to home-made. Found at Capital Spice.
5. Half-Sour Dills: This recipe makes the kind of mild, crunchy pickles you find on the tables of every deli in New York City. Proportions aren’t terribly important, except that you need to have enough salt and vinegar to make the brine, and enough brine to cover the cucumbers while they sit on the counter top for a day or two. Found at The Perfect Pantry.
6. Refrigerator Garlic Dills: These are not pickles you can put on the shelf in your pantry. Two days after you make them they have to go in the refrigerator and they have to stay there until you eat them. Found at dlyn.
7. Refrigerator Pickles & Banana Peppers: They definitely taste closer to a dill pickle than the ones stored only in vinegar, and it’s worth the extra effort. I’m really glad that I threw the banana pepper in there – it’s much better than the heavily pickled store-bought ones! Found at Eat This.
8. Grandmother’s Refrigerator Pickles: Refrigerator pickles are pretty easy though we had to go buy mustard & celery seed (I can’t believe a drawer full of herbs & spices & we didn’t have these). The pickles have to be stored in glass or crockery according to the recipe. We cleaned out a couple of empty jam containers & they worked perfectly. We made 1/2 the following recipe & filled two jars. Found at A Good Appetite.
9. Quick Spicy Dills: They are refrigerator pickles — no heat involved. I know that this is the mildest summer I have ever experienced in Chicago, but it is still nice to not have to turn on the stove. Summer makes me lazy. Just combine the ingredients and let them do their magic overnight. You will be rewarded with a jar of seriously addictive pickles. Found at Lottie And Doof.
10. Refrigerator Version: These were a hand-me-down recipe from his mother. And they couldn’t be simpler. Found at A Way To Garden.
11. Slightly Sweet Dill Refrigerator Version: Substituting rice vinegar (instead of cider or wine vinegar) produces a pickle that’s less tart. Found at Epicurious.
12. Asian-Inspired: These pickles were delicious. They held onto a fresh crispness while still absorbing all that puckery vinegar goodness. Found at Food In Jars.
13. Broadway Deli’s: These pickles taste just like the one’s grandma used to make, only they’re faster and easier to prepare. To transform bumpy little cucumbers into crisp, garlicky dill pickles, place all of the ingredients in a jar, cover, and shake. In four days you’ll have the best dill pickles you’ve ever tasted. Recipe from Everyday Dish.
14. Homemade Kosher Dills: for anyone who doesn’t think they can make pickles; don’t be worried. You can. Following Arthur’s excellent and very easy recipe, you’ll find making them is truly a no-brainer. Found at David Lebovitz.

Sweet Refrigerator Pickles In Three Simple Steps

These are so easy to make that anyone can do it!

Brine Ingredients:

4 cups sugar
2 cups vinegar
2 TBS pickling salt
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp mustard seed

First Prepare:

• Ice cream pail about 3/4 full with thin sliced cucumbers (washed & cleaned) and some pearl onions tossed in (as many or as little as you like).

Directions:

Step 1:

• Mix the brine ingredients together then let sit for 1 hour until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Step 2:

• Pour the brine mixture over the cucumbers in the pail & cover with lid (make sure it’s sealed properly so it’s airtight). Make sure the slices are all covered in brine.

Step 3:

• Refrigerate the pail of cucumbers and stir every other day.

Serve:

• After 12 days. Keep refrigerated and you can enjoy these for up to 3 months.

Peppers

*First published July 30, 2007 and moved to this page for better organization

Ingredients:

Assorted peppers
Garlic cloves
Peppercorns
Vinegar
Water
Pickling or Kosher Salt

Directions:

• Thoroughly wash peppers and trim stems. Make a small slash in each for vinegar absorption.
• For each hot and freshly sterilized jar: Pack with peppers (tight), 3 whole garlic cloves (halved), 4 to 6 peppercorns.
• Bring to a simmer enough vinegar and water (50/50) to fill jars. Stir in pickling salt (1 tsp for each jar).
• Once simmering for about 3 minutes, pour hot vinegar over peppers to cover completely and leave about 1/2″ head space.
• Run a sterilized knife between the peppers and the jar to make sure there are no air bubbles. Top up with simmering vinegar/water mixture if needed.
• Wipe rim with a clean damp cloth and then seal with sterilized rings and lids.
• Process for 15 minutes in a hot water bath.

Store in a cool, dark place for at least 2 weeks before consuming. Refrigerate after opening.

Notes:

• Amounts specified are assuming jars are 1 quart.
• Adjust amounts of seasonings to taste.
• Experiment by adding fresh clean sprigs of herbs like oregano and basil. Also try packing with shredded carrots, cauliflower, mustard seed, or strips of white onion.
• Mix and match different types of peppers in each jar if you like. Use this recipe for any type you like, such as chili, jalapeno, banana, or even regular red or green bell peppers (slice these in strips first).

Eggs

Have you tried pickling eggs or even eating them? I can’t bring myself to do it! It just seems…too different to me, and there’s no way I’d ever get my fussy family to try them. But they are popular with plenty of people and a recipe for pickled eggs (or how to pickle them) is something frequently requested here on Tipnut.

Here’s what I have, it was pasted into an old household notebook that I treasure and there’s a big star written beside it…so I’m guessing this was a favorite. For those that have been asking, here ya go:

Ingredients:

3 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon pepper berries (this could be peppercorns since I think pepperberries would be too exotic to be readily available at the time this recipe was written)
2 tablespoons sliced ginger root OR 1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Note: If preferred, spices may be omitted, sugar, garlic or sliced onions added.

Directions:

• Put the spices into a small cotton bag or a bag made from several thicknesses of cheese cloth.
• Put the bag into the vinegar with salt and water and boil 10 minutes.
• Remove spice bag and allow solution to cool.
• Hard-cook a dozen eggs, dash into cold water to cool rapidly and remove shells.
• Pack eggs into sterilized half-gallon, quart or pint sealers.
• Pour cold vinegar solution over eggs to cover, then seal jars.
• The eggs may be kept for a week at room temperature but recommend cool storage for reserve supplies.
• Let stand in pickling solution at least two days before using.

Use pickled eggs as a garnish, in salads, as a relish, served whole or cut in half to eat out of hand.

How does this compare to your tried-and-true or favorite recipe? I know there is a variation of pickled beet juice and eggs so that the eggs turn out purple, what are these like?