This is a quick and easy recipe for the pickle lover in your family. Here at Happy Acres, my wife is a big fan of them. In years past she had been buying pickles to put on sandwiches, but last year I had one of my ‘I can make that’ moments. So I planted several different pickling cucumbers out in the garden, and when the harvests started rolling in I got busy making pickles!
This is her favorite pickle of the ones I made and we taste-tested. She likes it so much that I planted more cucumbers this year just so I can make these for her. I’ve made it into both sliced pickle chips, and into ‘stacker style’ pickles.
pickling cucumbers
I usually make these with pickling cucumbers, though slicing types will work too. Pickling cucumbers can be hard to find, but in summer you can often find them at farmer’s markets. Of course you can always do like I do and grow your own! Excelsior and Vertina are two pickling types that I grow here and like.
using mandoline to slice cucumbers
I use my Benriner mandoline to get slices with an even, consistent thickness. If you have a mandoline slicer it will make short work out of preparing the cucumbers. It may take a couple of tries to get the thickness set like you want it, but after that the slicing goes quickly. I’ve been slicing them just a bit less than 1/8 of an inch thick, but thicker or thinner will work too. When you make them yourself you can make them exactly how you like them!
sliced cucumbers
There aren’t many ingredients necessary to make these pickles, just vinegar and water plus seasonings like garlic plus mustard and dill seeds. I use a white wine vinegar, but apple cider vinegar would also work well. Rice vinegar would be nice too, and I use it for my Quick Refrigerator Pickles. You can always experiment yourself and see what you like. I like to use dill seeds, but fresh dill can certainly be used if you have it.
Quick Refrigerator Dill Pickles
The recipe makes about a quart of pickles, and can be scaled up or down as needed. You should wait at least a few hours before eating these. They will be even better after 24 hours, and should keep for a month in the refrigerator.
Quick Refrigerator Dill Pickles 
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A Happy Acres original
1-1/2 lbs pickling cucumbers, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced or whole
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp dill seeds
1. Place cucumber slices and garlic in a non-reactive bowl.
2. Heat vinegar, water, salt, mustard seeds and dill seeds until simmering either on stove top or in the microwave.
3. Pour hot brine over cucumbers.
4. Place plate or bowl over cucumbers to keep them submerged under brine. Let sit for 30 minutes, or until cool.
5. Pack into jar or glass container and place in refrigerator. Pickles can be stored for up to a month.
Thank you! Sounds delicious and going to make some this week.
That’s an easy recipe. No processing is definitely a bonus, especially when the weather is hot and you don’t want to heat up the kitchen.
Yum, yum! I love refrigerator pickles and already have some in the fridge! I like to add some hot pepper to mine as well – since neither of the kids likes pickles, I’m free to spice them up as much as I want 🙂
I would’ve never thought to slice them lengthwise. That would make for a much more sandwich friendly pickle.
That’s why my wife likes them – they do better on a sandwich!