Refrigerator pickles are so much better than store bought I can kick myself for not making them more often. They are as tangy, sweet, salty and spicy as you want them. They are stored in the freezer or refrigerator until you need them. These aren’t canned or shelf stable but last quite a long time in the icebox. This is a quick and easy small batch recipe, perfect for last minute pickles.
Crunchy veggies are key so I like to use carrot, onions and english or hothouse cucumbers. I used homemade apple cider vinegar which is so much fun to do, especially with kids. I will have to write about how to do that someday. The homemade variety is sweeter and fruitier than the store bought stuff. It does have live cultures of lactobacillus so it’s one of those healthy, fermented foods that re-invigorate gut bacteria.
I like to store my pickles in canning jars, especially with my hand made canning jar lids made by my husband. He has his own hand made shop on Etsy where he markets his hand turned pieces of art.
I added these pickles to my cheese sandwich and really kicked it up a notch. My otherwise bland cheese sandwich became an instant Bahn Mi type of sandwich. These would also work well in a real Bahn Mi, Korean BBQ and any side dish to a Korean, Indian or Thai meal. Let me know how you used these pickles, leave a comment.
Ingredients
- 1 English cucumber
- 1 cup of sliced carrots
- 1/2 white onion
- 1 Tbs dried dill
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Chop cucumber and carrots into spears. Slice the onion into thin slices or wedges.
- In a bowl add sugar and water and stir until sugar dissolves. Add vinegar and dill.
- Pack 1-2 jars (depends on what size you use) with the veggies as tight as possible and pour liquid ingredients to cover veggies.
- Place lid on and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Note: Refrigerator pickles do not have preservatives other than sugar or vinegar so throw in trash when pickles look, smell, taste funny.
