Easy Refrigerator Pickling

I have a love of mason jars as well as a love of all things pickled. This combo has lead me to a natural desire to want to pickle my own veggies. Well, that and the fact that we get a Farm Fresh box delivered to our house monthly and I'm always looking for way to use all of our scrumptious items before they go bad. 

But I don't do complicated.

So here's an easy recipe for those of you that can't deal with the long complicated process of normal canning. (*Note: I am not a trained chef and this is just a method that's worked for me. I in no way vouch that it is the best method. Please use at your own risk/desire.)

 

**Before chopping get a saucepan on the stovetop (over medium heat) and add the following and stir:

• 2 1/2 C white vinegar
• 3 C water
• 1/4 C salt
• 3 T sugar

 Heat until boiling.


Step One. Chop.

Gather whatever type of veggies you'd like to use and chop them all up into sizes that should fit your mason jars. I have two larger jars I used for this project so I washed and then chopped the ends off all my green beans and did the same for my Persian cucumbers. Then I chopped them into long spears. Also use fresh garlic and chop it into large pieces. I cut each clove into four pieces.

 

 

 Step Two. Spice.

Add the following spices to your jars as well as the garlic.

• 2 t dill seeds
• 2 t caraway seeds
• 4-6 bay leaves

The amounts in each jar aren't too important. Or you can also cheat and just buy an all-in-one pickling spice. It works great and saves money. I used McCormick's Pickling Spice. You can also get crazy and add peppers or other spicy additions if you like it hotter but I wanted to keep this batch on the mild side.

 

Step Three. Fill.

Put those veggies in! Squeeze them, shove them.... do what you gotta do. 

Now pour the boiling mixture carefully into the jars. If there's extra space you can just fill it with additional boiling water. Carefully (using an oven mitt) put the lids on the jars. If you have time... let them cool before capping. They will not have an airtight seal but that's ok because you'll be eating them before you know it!

 

Refrigerate and you'll be able to enjoy in about two weeks!

Let me know if you've tried this recipe or you have any tasty additions or combinations!

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