I don’t know what came over me one day, but I suddenly got this inescapable urge to make my own pickles.
Now mind you, I have never pickled, canned or preserved anything in my life. My beloved collection of mason jars have been used exclusively for shaking up salad dressing and scrambled eggs, and for serving brownie cake with ice cream.
But somewhere along the line I figured out that there was such a thing as refrigerator pickles…no boiling or canning or other intimidating things involved…and I was in!
First up: get me some Kirby cucumbers.
What are kirby cucumbers?
There are all kinds of different cucumbers out there, from the common garden cucumber that you are probably most familiar with, to seedless English cucumbers, and lots more.
The Kirby cucumber is a short, dense, bumpy cucumber that is perfect for making pickles because of its size and texture. They are pretty easy to find in the supermarket (or even better, your local farmer’s market) and sometimes they will actually be named pickling cucumbers.
ingredients needed to make easy homemade dill pickles!
here’s how to make easy homemade dill pickles!
STEP 1: Wash off your kirby cukes and cut them into halves and quarters.
STEP 2: Mix up a combo of white vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes and hot water.
STEP 3: While the vinegar mixture is cooling, put your cut cucumbers into a large mixing bowl and toss them with some crushed garlic and lots and lots of fresh dill.
STEP 4: When the vinegar mixture is cooled off, pour it over the cucumber dill mixture until the cukes are underwater (or should I say, under-brine? Brine is what us pickle-makers call the vinegar stuff). Put a plate on top of the cukes to make sure they stayed obediently submerged, cover the whole thing with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.
STEP 5: Wait 48 long hours. The first time I made these pickles, periodically I would peek into the refrigerator to see what was happening, which looked like not too much. The bowl of cucumbers looked exactly the same every time I peeked. But secretly, they were turning into pickles.
STEP 6: Finally at the end of the second day, take one out of the bowl and have a bite. And…it will be a PICKLE!
A tart, spicy, crunchy, slightly garlicky, totally miraculous pickle! That you have made yourself!
And as the days went by, they only get better – spicier and more and more pickle-ish. These pickles will keep several weeks in the fridge. Once I go past the 48 hour mark, I keep them in a covered glass storage jar in the brine – takes up less fridge space that way!
Now, I’ve made my own butter, my own ricotta cheese, my own applesauce…but honestly, nothing has ever made me as ridiculously excited as making my own pickles.
Which is good, because incomprehensibly, the Southern husband is not a big pickle fan. He ate a couple to be polite and supportive, but aside from that it’s been me and about one million pickles.
more tips for making easy homemade dill pickles!
You can, but since they are a softer consistency than Kirby pickles, you will get much softer pickles. If you can’t find Kirby pickles, I would slice regular cucumbers into rounds (like the kind you put on burgers)…those tend to be softer anyway. And you can also slice the Kirby cukes into rounds if you prefer those to cucumber spears.
They are in the spice aisle of your friendly neighborhood grocery store!
Excellent question, since we are going for a tart, dill flavor…however without a little sugar to tone down the vinegar, the pickles will be a little TOO tart.
Pop your question in the comments section below and I promise to answer pronto!
Anyone want a really fabulous pickle?
Easy Homemade Dill Pickles
Prep Time: 20 minutes- Marinating Time: 48 hours
- Total Time: 48 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Refrigerator
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
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Turn cucumbers into easy homemade dill pickles in 48 hours…with no canning! This fun recipe for easy refrigerator pickles happens all in the fridge. Let’s get to pickling!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of kirby cucumbers (about 10 pickles), washed and halved or quartered
- 1 1/2 cups white vinegar
- 1/8 cup sugar
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds (you can find these in the spice aisle)
- 2 cups hot water
- 1 cup chopped fresh dill
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you like things!
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Instructions
- Stir together vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, and hot water until sugar and salt are dissolved, and let cool.
- Put the pickles, dill, red pepper and garlic into a large deep bowl and stir until the dill is evenly distributed.
- Pour the vinegar mixture over the cucumbers. If they aren’t submerged, add a little more water until they are. Put a plate on top of the cukes to keep them down in the liquid, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
- Marinate for about 48 hours. These pickles will keep several weeks in the fridge, and they will get spicier over time. Once I go past the 48 hour mark, I keep them in a covered glass cookie jar in the brine – takes up less fridge space that way!
Notes
Need to add something to your kitchen equipment to make this recipe? Below are some of the items we used in the Framed Cooks kitchen to help cook this up. These are affiliate links to things we use and love, which helps to pay for all that bacon I keep buying (without any extra cost to you)! Thanks for using them to keep our kitchen cooking…xoxo!
Updated (and made even more delicious!) from a previously published Framed Cooks post!
OTHER STAPLES RECIPES WE LOVE!
 One of my favorite things to do is to experiment with making some of the things we usually buy in jars and cans and boxes at the supermarket. Like peanut butter! |
 This easy recipe for homemade applesauce is easy, delicious and a great reason for an afternoon of apple picking! Good and good for you. |
 This homemade ricotta cheese recipe calls for nothing more than milk, buttermilk, salt, cream and 15 minutes. I promise it will be the best ricotta you’ve ever tasted. |
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