Refrigerator Pickles

REFRIGERATOR PICKLES

Forgive me, foodies, for I have sinned. It's been 5 months since my last blog post. 

How did it happen?  One day after another I chose to do the many other things in my life that make up a busy working woman with a multitude of interests kind of gal.  Some of the more important things were spending time with my daughter who was home from College this summer, applying to graduate school, gardening, sewing, and spending time with family. (I do admit to spending much too much wasted time checking in with Facebook and this simply needs to change!)

I am an avid reader of the Smitten Kitchen blog http://smittenkitchen.com  I love the delightful fresh blogs and occasionally I can actually make the recipes when they are 100% plant based.  Recently Smitten Kitchen posted a refrigerator pickle recipe that is both ridiculously easy and delicious! 

It is still the season of cucumbers so I highly recommend you run out to the nearest Farmer's Market in your area and pick up 8 - 10 cucumbers and get busy making these yummy pickles.

Refrigerator Pickles

8 - 10 pickling cucumbers

3 tsp coarse kosher salt

1 - 2 Tbsp fresh chopped dill 

OR

1 - 2 Tbsp pickling spice

OR 

a combo of both and 1 or more crushed garlic cloves

1/2 cup white vinegar

1.  Wash the cucumbers and leave the skin on if you have organic cucs.

2.  Slice the cucumbers about 1/8 inch thin.  I do not use a mandolin slicer because I have purchased and given away at least two so obviously I don't like them and am deathly afraid of them!  I just used my knife carefully and if every single little cucumber slice isn't perfect, oh well.

3.  Put the cucumbers in a large jar.

                                                   

                                                   

 4.  Add the chopped dill or other pickling spices, the salt, and the vinegar.

5.  Close the jar and shake vigorously!  It will look like there is not nearly enough liquid for how many cucumbers are in the jar.  Trust.

6.  Put the jar in the fridge.  I try to shake the jar at least two more times before diving in.  I also try to leave the pickles in the fridge overnight but the original recipe says they are done in about 2 hours.

Here's a bit of a disorienting view from the top.  You can see the dill and pickling spices on top of the cucumbers.

Pre-refrigeration view.  Everything is nicely shaken and ready to marinate and pickle in the fridge.

In the last two days I have had the refrigerator cucumbers alone in a bowl, on a big green salad, and piled on my veggie burger lunch.

This was yesterday's lunch.  A vegan griller patty on a "one" bun which is a very thin whole wheat bun.  I piled romaine, garden toms, Annie's spread, avocado, and refrigerator pickles on the burger.  It was a mess.  I had an amazing sliced peach on the side.  Delicious!

Nice to be back blogging.  Remember to eat your greens!