The first cucumbers of the year just scream for pickles! Refrigerator pickles are a summertime staple here at Happy Acres. They are easy to make, light and cooling on a hot summer day (like today). There are lots of ways to make them, but the following recipe has become my favorite.
cucumbers for refrigerator pickles (click on any image to enlarge)
These are best made with homegrown cucumbers or ones from a farmer’s market, since supermarket cucumbers are usually waxed. Large, older cucumbers can be peeled if the skin is tough. Or use a peeler and peel alternating strips off the cucumbers for a striped look. The rice wine vinegar gives a nice flavor to the pickles, but you can use another vinegar if you like.
Quick Refrigerator Pickles
Quick Refrigerator Pickles 
Print This Recipe
A Happy Acres creation
2 cups cucumbers, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
dash salt
1. Prepare cucumbers and onion, place in glass or other non-reactive bowl.
2. Mix vinegar with sugar and salt in small bowl until sugar and salt are dissolved. Pour over cucumbers and onion.
3. Cover bowl and let sit for several hours or overnight, stirring occasionally.
Servings: 4 (1/2 cup each)
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 46 calories, <1 calories from fat, <1g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 40.6mg sodium, 145.6mg potassium, 17.5g carbohydrates, <1g fiber, 9.9g sugar, <1g protein, 12.5mg calcium, <1g saturated fat.
Yum! This is a favorite summer treat of mine, though I’ve never tried it with rice wine vinegar. I will have to get some! I sometimes add dill to the mix.
They’re definitely a favorite around here too, although we’re still a long way from harvesting cukes. Nice work!
We may be in the same zone (different regions), but you are weeks ahead of me in the garden. Funny how that works isn’t it? The pickles look good!
Kelly, those cukes came from the greenhouse so they got a head start of a few weeks. My outdoor cucumbers are just now blooming.
Yum. I can’t wait for refrigerator pickles. My cukes are yet blooming though.
Phew…glad to read those came from the greenhouse. I was starting to think we were really far behind this year! They look so easy though, and probably stay more crisp than those that are canned.
Last fall we made some of Lynn’s crunchy canned pickles and they turned out perfect…so good we even eat them on our salads.:) I will have to give your refrigerator pickle recipe a try this summer, the use of rice vinegar sounds interesting. Can’t believe you already have cucumbers…amazing. I’ll have to try growing ours in the greenhouse one of these years too.
Do you mostly use persian cucumbers or pickling for this recipe? Sounds like a good way to use up some of my cucumbers that are stacking up. Sometimes I find pickles too salty, so this is a nice way to prepare them.
I use all different kinds of pickles. My favorite is the Japanese types, but any cucumber will work.
Made them tonight and they were great! I did cut the sugar by 1T. Thanks!