Until a few weeks ago, I’d never heard of freezing pickles, and when I did, it sounded like a terrible idea. Some of the recipe notes, and descriptions in the pickle-making book that Gabriel swiped from his parent’s house earlier this year intrigued me though, so one day, on one of those rare occasions when both kids were sleeping, I made a test batch.
Oh. My. They were so good! Crisp and crunchy, sweet and tangy.
As it turns out, freezer pickles aren’t exactly like the traditional canned pickles we think of. These can be served as a side dish, a raw vegetable in place of the traditional salad. You don’t want to take just a few slices like you would a dill, or bread and butter pickle. Pile them on your plate!
Needless to say, as someone who tries very hard to eat what I grow, and grow what I eat, I’m really excited about this opportunity to preserve a raw salad-type dish for the winter months when garden-fresh food is a little more scarce.
As I mentioned above, this recipe comes from the book Pickles and Relishes by Andrea Chesman which Gabriel swiped from his parents. Okay, maybe swipe isn’t the right word – they told him to take it . It’s full of great recipes for all kinds of pickles. I’ve only scratched the surface, but we’ve already tried several recipes that we love.
Try these freezer pickles today!
PrintFreezer Pickles
Ingredients
- 8 cups thinly sliced cucumbers
- 2 Tablespoons pickling salt
- 1 large onion, slice
- 1 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 cup vinegar (white or cider)
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon mixed pickling spices (optional)
- 1 teaspoon celery seeds
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the cucumbers and salt.
- Cover with water.
- Let stand overnight.
- Rinse well and drain.
- Add the onion to the cucumbers. (note: I was really happy with the thickness of the cukes sliced by my food processor – which made the process very quick and easy)
- Combine the remaining ingredients in a medium sized saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar is dissolved.
- When the liquid is cool, strain (I chose not to strain it in favor of hopfully letting the spices infuse the vinegar a bit more), then pour over the cucumbers. Place the cucumbers with brine in plastic freezer bags and freeze.
- Defrost in the refrigerator for 8 hours or so until thawed before serving.
- Enjoy!
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Ashley Trahan says
I really want to try these but don’t like sweet pickles. Were they more of a sweet pickle or dill pickle? Thanks!!
Elise says
They’re fairly sweet. I haven’t tried them without the sugar.
Nancy says
I’m wondering how well this particular pickle recipe would work with other vegetables? Particularly green tomatoes. I really like this recipe. I have come across three other similar recipes. This one struck me as better than the rest. Especially allowing the cucumbers and salt to stand overnight instead of only two to three hours. Thank you.
Nancy Weinkauf says
Question re: the 3/4 cup water: is that part of the brine or is that what you meant to cover with water?