Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Yum! Sweet Refrigerator Pickles

This recipe came from an old and worn favorite recipe book I bought new when Coop and I first got together. You know the kind. One in which the pages have come loose from the binding and many are stained and worn from repetitive use. It’s been my best loved recipe source for the past twenty eight years.

These pickles are easy to make and require few ingredients. They work wonderfully as a side dish and taste great on a burger as well. They are similar to a bread and butter style pickle. The following recipe will make about 3 pints of pickles. I normally double it and make 3 quarts or put them into a gallon size jar.

Sweet Refrigerator Pickles

7 cup unpeeled cucumbers or young zucchini or a mix of both sliced thin ( Actually usually I make them with young zucchini.)

1 large onion sliced thin

A green or red pepper chopped is optional

1/8 cup salt

Place veggies in large pan or bowl. (I use a dishpan when making a double batch.) Sprinkle salt over sliced veggies and cover with ice water. Let stand 2 hours. Drain.

After placing pickles in jars, make the following syrup and bringing it to a boil. Ladle or pour over the pickles.

1 cup vinegar

2 cup sugar

1 tsp. celery seed

Store in fridge. The recipe says they will keep indefinitely but they won’t really last that long! : )

I have also canned these pickles (shown in photo). The only difference in doing so is that I make the syrup up, bring to a boil and then add the drained pickles to the syrup and return to a boil before putting in jars. If you do can them follow basic canning instructions, (hot jars, hot lids, wipe rims well, etc) be sure to run a small spatula around the inside of jar before sealing to remove air bubbles. Hot water bath them for about 10-15 minutes.

6 comments:

  1. Thes look yummy! I just opened a can of the dill pickles I did. They are yummy!

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  2. Ihave been searching for a pickle recipe like this and it is similar but you don't do the ice bath or boil the liquids you just mixed all the ingredients and the recipe said you could keep them up to a year in the refrigerator I have lost that recipe I think it was Alecia's Refrigerator Amish Pickles and I got it off the internet but now I can't find the web site. If you know of this recipe please email it to me.

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  3. how long do you let them sit in the fridge before you open them up to eat?

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  4. goody gumdrops- I'd give them at least a day or two before eating just to let the flavors absorb. I'm sure the longer they set the more flavorful they become.

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  5. Hi Willow! I grew up around the same part of Ohio that you're from, and my grandma made the best sweet pickles that I've ever eaten. Somehow, the recipe was misplaced and I have not found anything to replace it. This year my garden gave me a bumper crop of cukes (and I had some sweet vidalia onions from our trip through GA a few weeks back) so I needed just the right recipe. I found this today, and the kids and I made 4 quart jars full of these pickles. I know I have to wait a bit for them to "season", but I can hardly stand not eating them now!! They smell (and the sauce tastes) EXACTLY like grandmas!! I'm so excited to have found this - thank you for sharing! :) May you be blessed in all you do! Cheers!

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  6. hey anonymous, glad to be able to share!!

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