I thought it was about time I learned about pickling after a coworker brought in her homemade sweet pickles and the taste evoked nostalgia.I admit to taking the easy route and opting for Sweet Refrigerator Pickles—it was my first time, after all.
This Sweet Pickles recipe could not be simpler. I tossed together the sliced cukes, onions, and peppers and sprinkled with pickling salt. As I waited the required hour for the salt to work its magic, I thought about my grandfather’s garden. He worked an acre of land (in the city!) and delighted us with such gems as raspberries, blueberries, grapes, Swiss chard, sweet corn, and parsnips, among many others. As the summer waned, he canned tomatoes, piccalilli, and my favorite, bread-and-butter pickles. Now that he’s gone, I’m sorry I didn’t appreciate his efforts more.
After an hour had passed, all that was left to do was to combine the cider vinegar, sugar, celery seeds, and mustard seeds. I drained the vegetables and added the vinegar mixture. After letting the pickles sit in the refrigerator for 48 hours, I had my first taste … and they are better than I thought they would be! Sweet, with a little zip from the hot peppers. Still not as good as my grandfather’s pickles, but I’ll work on it!
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Below is the recipe for these sweet pickles. Prefer sour to sweet? Watch Catherine, the Old Farmer’s Almanac digital editor, make Refrigerator Dill Pickles.
Photo Credit: W. Atlee Burpee & Co.
Recipe for Sweet Refrigerator Pickles
This recipe comes from p. 154 of The Garden-Fresh Cookbook.
Ingredients:
8 cups sliced cucumbers ( 6 to 8 medium cucumbers)
2 large onions, sliced
2 large red peppers, sliced
3 hot peppers, sliced
1 tablespoon pickling salt
2 cups cider vinegar
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons celery seed
2 teaspoons mustard seed
Directions: In a large bowl, combine the cucumber slices, onions, and peppers. Sprinkle with the salt and set the bowl aside for 1 hour. Drain and discard the liquid. In a bowl or jar with a lid, combine the vinegar, sugar, and seeds and whisk or shake until sugar is dissolved. Pour the liquid over the cucumbers. Transfer the cucumbers to a glass or plastic-covered container for storage and refrigerate. These will keep up to 3 months. Makes about 4 quarts.
Sarah Perreault
Introduction to Preserving
Freezing
Making Quick Pickles
Making Quick Jams: Refrigerator or Freezer Jam
Water-Bath Canning
How to Can Tomatoes
How to Can Pickles
How to Can Jam and Jelly
Pressure Canning
Drying
Salting and Brining
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Can sweeteners be used in place of sugar for making pickles? I’m sure there are diabetics who would like to know. Thanks!
I think it calls for three jalapeno peppers. Can these be excluded or a substitute? My family does not like hot or warm.
You can certainly leave out the hot peppers if you prefer. Enjoy!
The recipe states "In a large bowl, combine the cucumber slices, onions, and peppers. Sprinkle with the salt and set the bowl aside for 1 hour. Drain and discard the liquid." My question is: what liquid?
As the vegetables sit with salt, they will expel moisture. You need to drain it before continuing.
Hello everyone, I hope I can get what I am looking for. One thing I consider to be one of my fondest memories with my Granny was helping her can. We canned just about anything under the sun from jellies to veggies. With that, the love of canning is within me. I still can till the cows come home. I can things I do even like to eat because she taught the craft and I just love to do it. Granny passed away a couple of years ago. And with her we believe she took her famous (at least in our family) Sweet Garlic Pickles recipe. Although Granny and I never canned these, they were a favorite from my childhood. I cant even give any clue how they are canned let alone the ingredients. I can tell you, they were thinly (I'm talking paper thin). She did have whole clove in it as well. The name is what my mother and aunts say it was, so I have to take their word for it even though I don't remember seeing garlic in them nor did they taste like they had even a hint or garlic. But they WERE sweet. I do not know if they was just something handed down in the family or if it is an old southern recipe. If anyone can enlighten me, many thanks to you.
That sounds great--especially the childhood memory. I have a recipe that might be similar. You just mix a few ingredients and boil: 2 c. vinegar, 2 c. water, 3 c. sugar, and 2 tbsp. salt. Then pour it over 6 qts. fresh sliced pickles packed firmly in jar. Then add 12 cloves peeled garlic and a head of dill to each quarter. Twist on the lid and can it!
I've added alum to mine,it preserves that crisp snap and helps perserve them.Not much,1/2 tsp to a 3 qt. batch
how soon can you eat them?
The flavor gets better the longer you wait, but if you are really anxious, give them a try after 24 hours.
