Receta Refrigerator Dill Pickles
Every Fall, I make a point of ‘putting up’ some farm stand produce. “Putting up” was a phrase used by our grandmothers to describe canning enough vegetables to get their families through the winter. This was long before we were able to import fresh vegetables from anywhere in the world in any season of the year, thereby stocking our grocery stores and supermarkets with the real thing all year round. But I still feel the urge to can, if not with the same urgency of our forbearers, in the same spirit. This year, I was drawn to a recipe that, as canning goes, could not be easier. You simply cut up the object to be canned, add seasoning, put the vegetable and its accompaniments into Mason jars, then pour over a brine, put the tops of the jars back on and voilà! Into your refrigerator the jars go and 24 hours later, “Pickles”! No steaming cauldrons of boiling water! And, in the case of this recipe, just a crisp, crunchy dill pickle that is both sweet and sour and far superior to anything supermarket dill pickle. It is the perfect recipe to make with children because it involves no cooking. And while you make the pickles, it’s a perfect opportunity to talk about Grandma and how she kept the family in vegetables for the winter. And all it takes a 6 1-Pint Mason Jars and 9 Kirby Cucumbers.
Kirbys are the littlest of cucumbers ranging from 3 inches to 6 inches long. You can use them in place of larger cukes but they are really ideal for pickling. The Kirby was developed by a grower named Norval E. Kirby and introduced to America in 1920. There was a whole slew of them, 9 varieties in all, with names like Black Diamond and Stay Green. By the 1930s, they’d been merged into a single dominant variety simply call Kirby. Compared to their larger cousin, they tend to be shorter, thicker, less regularly shaped, and have bumpy skin with tiny white or black-dotted spines. The cucumber itself has an ancient history of at least 3000 years and was grown in Rome in the time of Tiberius. The earliest settlers to this country discovered the ‘cowcumber’ growing in profusion. Somewhere along the line, a prejudice against eating raw fruits and vegetables came into being and for years, no one ate cowcumbers. In fact, the name ‘cowcumber’ was a reaction to that prohibition. The cowcumber was ‘fit only for consumption by cows’. How or why this prohibition was lifted is a mystery but once you’ve tasted this recipe you will be very glad it was. Here is the recipe:
Recipe for Refrigerator Pickles
Makes 6 pint jars of pickles. Takes 30 minutes to prepare.
- 9 Kirby Cucumbers of even length, (under 4 inches so that they will fit in the Pint Jar)
- 1 Medium Sweet Onion, halved, then sliced into thin have moons
- 12 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and smashed (2 for each jar)
- 1 tsp. Black Peppercorns, divided into 6 portions
- 1 tsp. Whole Mustard Seed, divided into 6 portions
- Several sprigs of fresh dill weed per jar
- 6 whole Bay Leaves (1 per jar)
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar
- 1 1/4 cups white wine vinegar
- 2 1/4 cups water
1. Slice Kirbys into wedges, then divide onions, dill and Kirby wedges evenly between the 6 jars. If you start with onions and dill in the bottom of the jar, you’ll find stuffing the Kirby wedges in easier.
2. Divide the peppercorns and mustard seed into one batch to go on the bottom of the jar, one to add to the top of the jar.
3. Stir together brown sugar, vinegars and water. Pour vinegar mixture into the jars, put seals and tops on jars, and shake well to combine.
Chill the jars in the refrigerator. You can start eating them after 24 hours. They keep for at least a month in the fridge. You can and should eat the onions too!