How to Make Refrigerator Dill Pickle Spears

Homemade pickles can be more flavorful and less expensive than store-bought.

For those who are new to home pickling, making refrigerator dill pickles can be a great recipe to try first, before moving on to more advanced pickling recipes. Refrigerator pickles take about 15 minutes to make, and after developing their full flavor during 7 days of resting time in the fridge, they will keep for up to 2 months. With just seven ingredients and only a few basic kitchen supplies, you can save money on your grocery bill by making flavorful pickles at home.

Things You'll Need

• Tap water
• Vegetable brush
• 1 2-qt. glass jar with lid
• Large saucepan
• Cutting board
• Sharp knife
• 1/4 cup kosher salt (not table salt or pickling salt)
• 2 tbsps. white vinegar
• 2 lbs. small pickling cucumbers (also sold under the name Kirby cucumbers in some markets)
• Coarsely chopped fresh dill, to taste (1/3 of a cup for mild dill taste, up to 3/4 cup for intense dill taste)
• 8 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 8 whole black peppercorns

Instructions

1. Sanitize the pickle jar and lid by submerging them in boiling water or running them through your dishwasher's "sanitize" setting.

2. Wash the cucumbers thoroughly under cold running water, scrubbing the outside with a vegetable brush to loosen any dirt.

3. Trim off the stem ends and cut each cucumber into spears. Set aside.

4. Heat 6 cups of water along with the salt and vinegar in the saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove the saucepan from the burner and allow the solution to cool to room temperature.

5. Place the cucumber spears into the jar, followed by the garlic, peppercorns, and fresh dill. Slowly pour the cooled brine mixture over the top until the cucumbers are completely covered.

6. Seal the jar and store in the refrigerator for at least 7 days before opening. Pickles will keep for 2 months.

Tips & Warnings

• If fresh dill is unavailable, you may substitute dried dill. Use 1/3 as much dried dill as you would fresh. For example, in this recipe, substitute for 1/4 cup dried dill for 3/4 cup fresh dill.

• Hard water can interfere with the pickling process, so use bottled water instead.

• Overripe cucumbers can lead to mushy pickles. For pickles that are crisp, use ripe or slightly underripe pickles.

References

• Food: Kittencal's Easy Refrigerator Kosher Garlic-Dill Pickles
• Pick Your Own: Pickle FAQ
• OChef: Substituting Dry Herbs for Fresh and Fresh for Dry