The Pickle Project

This summer, with most day camps closed or online due to Covid-19, I’ve been trying to fill my 7-year-old's days with projects that are fun, easy, and at least a little bit educational. Cooking projects are great for this because they teach kitchen skills as well as science. This pickling project introduced her to preserving food using salt and vinegar and led to a discussion of other preservation methods (drying, fermenting, etc.). I leaned a little on the “American Pickle” episode of Good Eats (S03E7) for an accessible explanation of the history and science (and silliness) and then we were ready to go.

I cobbled together this refrigerator pickle recipe from a selection of recipes to create one that fit both my taste and the amount of pickles I wanted to make. This recipe filled one 24-oz jar. If you're scaling up or down, the brine ratio should be equal parts water and vinegar mixed with 3/4 tablespoon of salt per total cups of liquid. Many recipes include a little sugar to soften the pickle’s sour bite—more than a little will make sweet pickles (shudder)—but I left it out because I like a punchy pickle. I added a dash of turmeric to the brine, which gave it a slight tanginess, but it's not crucial to the outcome. The herbs and spices in the jar can be mixed and matched and dialed up or down to suit your taste.

Kirby and Persian cucumbers are best for pickling; they’re smaller and denser than salad cucumbers, and because they’re firmer they will hold up better to the pickling process. Refrigerator pickles are crunchier than pickles that have been through the canning process because the heat used in canning cooks the cucumbers slightly. Unlike canned pickles, refrigerator pickles will only keep for a few weeks, but judging by the jar in our fridge we’ll need to make another batch before the clock runs out on them!

Spicy Dill Refrigerator Pickles

Ingredients

For the brine:
1 cup apple cider or white vinegar
1 cup water
1½ tablespoons kosher salt
¼ teaspoon turmeric (optional, adds a little tang)
1 teaspoon sugar (optional, for less bite)

6 small Kirby or Persian cucumbers 
1 or 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 or 2 sprigs fresh dill
½ teaspoon dill seed
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 or 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 teaspoon mustard seed

Instructions
1. Make the brine. Bring water, vinegar, salt, turmeric (optional) and sugar (optional) to a boil in a small saucepan. Let it cool while you prepare the cucumbers.

2. Wash and dry the cucumbers. Cut off the blossom and stem ends, then slice into spears or coins.

3. Add the garlic, dill, dill seed, pepper flakes, coriander seed, peppercorns, and mustard seed to the jar. Pack the cucumbers into the jar as tightly as you can without smashing them.

4. Pour the cooled brine over cucumbers, filling the jar to 1/2 inch from the top. Gently tap the jar on counter to let out air bubbles and add more brine if necessary. (You may have leftover brine.)

5. Put the lid on jar and let it cool to room temperature before putting it into refrigerator.

6. Let the pickles sit in the refrigerator for about 48 hours before eating. They will keep for a few weeks.