Start with the right kind of pickle
Pickling is not one single process. Refrigerator pickles, shelf-stable quick pickles and fermented pickles use different safety controls. This guide teaches refrigerator pickles only: vegetables covered with a hot vinegar brine, cooled promptly and stored continuously at 40 F or below.
The recipes are not designed for pantry storage or water-bath canning. For a shelf-stable product, use a current research-tested recipe from the USDA, National Center for Home Food Preservation or Cooperative Extension and follow its measurements, jar size, preparation steps, processing time and altitude adjustment exactly.
Follow five safety rules
- Use commercially produced white or apple cider vinegar labeled 5% acidity. Do not use homemade vinegar or vinegar of unknown strength.
- Keep at least a 1:1 ratio of 5% vinegar to water or other liquid. Never reduce the vinegar in these recipes.
- Use clean jars, utensils, surfaces and fresh vegetables. Refrigeration does not replace good sanitation.
- Refrigerate within two hours, keep the vegetables below the brine and hold the refrigerator at 40 F or below.
- Label every jar, use within two weeks and discard without tasting if you see mold, slime, a bulging lid, strong fizzing or detect a rotten odor.
Make the master refrigerator brine
For about 2 cups of brine, combine 1 cup commercially produced 5% vinegar, 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon canning or pickling salt and 1 to 2 tablespoons optional sugar in a nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a full simmer and stir until dissolved.
Pack the prepared vegetables and flavorings into two clean pint jars or one quart jar. Pour the hot brine over them until covered, leaving about 1/2 inch at the top. Cool briefly, cap, label and refrigerate within two hours. Wait at least 24 hours before tasting.
Try six small-batch recipes
- Garden garlic-dill cucumbers with fresh dill, garlic, mustard seed and black peppercorns.
- Quick pink onions with a lightly sweetened brine and black peppercorns.
- Ginger-turmeric carrot ribbons with coriander seed.
- Peppery radish and turnip coins with garlic and optional chile.
- Spicy Southern refrigerator okra with jalapeno, dill, garlic and mustard seed.
- Ginger-spiced beets with cinnamon and cloves.
Build flavor without weakening the brine
Use fresh herbs, garlic, ginger, dried chile and whole spices to change the character of a jar. Sugar may soften the sharpness, but it does not replace vinegar. Never add extra water, fresh juice or low-acid liquid unless a research-tested recipe specifically directs it.
- Garden dill: dill, garlic, mustard seed and peppercorns.
- Ginger-gold: fresh ginger, turmeric and coriander seed.
- Warm spice: cinnamon, cloves, allspice and ginger.
- Southern heat: jalapeno, garlic, mustard seed and dill.
Use the jar throughout the week
- Add cucumbers or onions to mushroom sandwiches, raw wraps and chickpea salad.
- Spoon carrots, radishes or turnips over quinoa, black rice and roasted vegetable bowls.
- Chop pickles into kale or potato salad and add brine to dressings one teaspoon at a time.
- Offer children small, mild portions and avoid whole hard pieces that can be a choking hazard. People managing kidney, heart or blood-pressure conditions should ask a clinician about sodium limits.