I found a recipe for refrigerator pickles too and I am excited to try it! I always have an abundance of cucumbers and thought I would try it. I am growing burpless and a couple lemon cucumbers too. I didn't even know "pickling cucumbers" existed haha! I was just going to try it with what I have...I wouldn't think it would matter. Although, I like seedy pickles and my burpless will be seedless...

This is a Harvest forum question too. You'll find many discussions there about how to makes pickles.

Here is a link that might be useful: Harvest forum

This is a Harvest forum question too. You'll find many discussions there about how to makes pickles.

Here is a link that might be useful: Harvest forum

You don't need pickling cucumbers for refrigerator pickles. And you don't need to buy a mix either, there are simple recipes available on the internet, or I can post one if you need it.

You can use the straight eight or marketmore cukes. I think that's how refrigerator pickles came to be - thrifty homemakers not wanting slightly overgrown cucumbers to go to waste. This is for the bread and butter-style pickles, which has a fair amount of sugar. I've never made sour refrigerator pickles before.

The real issue is how prolific your garden is. When some of the slicing cucumbers get large, they are often too soft. It is better to pick the cucumbers when fairly small, and hopefully you will have enough in a few days to pickle a complete batch.

Donna, I've never made sweet refridge pickles before: only spicy or garlic-y. Can you please post your recipe. Thanks!

girlgroupgirl,

I haven't made them in years because my family only like the sour pickles that are canned. These are often called ice cream pail pickles. Don't say I didn't warn about the amount of sugar! I think that's why it can last for so long in the fridge.

Ice Cream Pail Pickles

1/3 cup salt
4 cups vinegar
1 1/2 tsp celery seed
4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp mustard seed

cucumbers
onions

Slice cucumbers and onions to fill ice cream pail. Boil brine until sugar is dissolved and pour over cukes. Let stand for five days before using. Keep refrigerated.

Donna, sounds really good. I was thinking of the mixes because they come in the different flavors already, Bread and butter, polish dill, kosker dill and I forget the last one. That way I could, over the summer, try them all and see which I liked the best. But I do like bread and butter pickles, I really like the sweetness. But I love the flvor of dill pickles also.

As to haveing enough cucumbers most summers I have so many I can't keep up even with giving them away. And this summer I planted four times as many cukes so don't see haveing enough as a problem.

Well then, looks like you are ready to do the real thing too. I'm too lazy to check my recipe, but while I have a pressure canner, I suspect that the pickles can be truely canned in a boiling water bath. That just requires a large deep pot. If you can them, you won't take up so much refer. space.

I don't have a canner, don't want one. Just want to make refridgerator pickles.

I understand that you don't want to do any canning but pickling is also food preservation and it has safety concerns attached to it. That's why the Harvest forum - the food preservation forum - exists for discussions such as this and is full of info on how to do it properly and safely.

The problem with using slicing cukes for pickles, and this is discussed in great detail on the Harvest forum, is they contain 2-3x as much water as pickling cukes do and have a thinner rind. The result is mushy pickles. Experienced pickle makers will not use them to make any kind of pickles just for that reason.

You can off-set some of that mushiness by using Pickle Crisp (calcium chloride). The Mrs. Wages and Ball pickling mixes have it added to them. They also contain citric acid to make the pickles even safer. If using other recipes you have to add your own Ca chloride and citric acid. But the pickles will still be softer if you use slicing cukes and many have sadly discovered that the hard way. You may be happy with the result but most pickle makers are not.

Second, since the discovery of listeria, a bacteria which grows even under refrigeration, many of the old 'fridge pickle' recipes are no longer considered safe because they contain too little vinegar, they are not acidic enough for even fridge storage. Cukes are a low-acid vegetable so botulism, in addition to the listeria, is a potential problem when refrigerator pickles are made improperly. Thus the citric acid in the Mrs. Wages mixes.

Dave

Dave, I was planning on using the Mrs Wagge Mixes and after reading your post will deffinately be using them. I have no experience with these things and of course I want to be safe!

Maybe I can just try with what I have and then if I am even close to happy plant pickling cucumbers next year. I have so types started this year, I just don't feel like adding more cucumbers. Thank you for taking the time to explain all this.

Hi digdirt, I had suggested that small regular cucs should work and I read your post about water in slicing cucs with great interest. I had moderate success with small cucs and soggy with large. I went to the Harvest forum to get more info. After two hours of interesting reading but not on topic, I have learned nothing other than what you stated above.

You had stated that I would find in depth info there. They don't have a FAQ and while I have seen numerous comments to read old, but undefined posts, and done various searches, I have found Nothing. Would you be so kind as to provide a couple of specific links on the subject of extra fluid in slicing cucumbers and whether it applies with young product.

I use my mother-in-law's dill pickle recipe which does not call for water bath processing...just hot clean jars and boiling water. She is over 80 years old and has never killed anyone with these pickles. I've been making them for several years, and as far as I know, no one has died from eating my pickles.

The refrigerator pickles are not mushy, and they have enough sugar and vinegar to make an effective preserve. I make jam and jelly every year, and I don't use a boiling water bath for that either. The only things I would use the water bath for would be fruit in syrup and canned tomatoes (I don't can meat). I understand the need to be diligent about food safety, but sometimes it goes a little far, just my opinion...

I think that Dave meant if you post the question on the Harvest forum that you'll be answered by experienced people who preserve produce.