Feature Articles: Food, Fitness and Cooking and Produce
Freezer Pickles are Quick & Cool to Make!
Karma Metzgar, C.F.C.S. Former Northwest Regional Nutrition Specialist, Nodaway County Extension Center, University of Missouri Extension
With the recent heat spell, I haven’t been terribly
interested in creating much heat and humidity in my kitchen
that comes along with canning. So far our cucumbers are
surviving and there will hopefully be more than we can eat
fresh.
An alternative to canning pickles is to freeze them, but
to preserve some of the texture, sugar is needed and you’ll
want to freeze in quantities to eat in one meal or snack.
Because you will want to eat them “just thawed” with few ice
crystals, small packages are the key to satisfaction.
The refrigerator also is an option for a small quantity
of pickles as the pickles need to be used up in one month.
The following Refrigerator Pickle recipe is from our
extension guide, Pack a Pickled Product, GH 1459.
This guide is available free from your local extension
center or can be viewed at
http://extension.missouri.edu/xplor/hesguide/foodnut/gh1459.htm.
To make the Refrigerator Pickle, in a glass or
crockery bowl, layer 6 cups thinly sliced cucumbers and 2
cups thinly sliced onions. In a medium-size saucepan, mix 1½
(one and one-half) cups sugar or honey, 1½ (one and
one-half) cups white vinegar, ½ (one-half) teaspoon canning
salt, ½ (one-half) teaspoon mustard seeds, ½ (one-half)
teaspoon celery seeds (one-half) and ½ (one-half) teaspoon
ground turmeric. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir until
the sugar dissolves. Pour over vegetables. Cool. Cover and
refrigerate 24 hours before serving. Use within one month.
This recipe will make approximately 1 quart of refrigerator
pickles.
In searching other extension services web sites, I found
three variations of freezer pickles. All are easy to follow
- for a small quantity or a large quantity.
This recipe for Freezer Pickles is from Clemson
University Cooperative Extension. Put 4 cups of sliced
cucumbers and 2 cups sliced onions in a bowl. Add 1
tablespoon canning salt and 3 tablespoons water. Cover and
let stand about one hour. Drain off liquid. Mix 1 cup sugar
with ½ (one-half) cup vinegar and stir until sugar is
dissolved. Pack in 1-cup freezer containers, leaving 1-inch
headspace for expansion during freezing. Freeze two weeks
and then thaw as needed 3 to 4 hours in refrigerator. You
also can thaw briefly in the microwave. This recipe will
make 2 pints.
The University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service
had two freezer recipes on their site. To make Simple
Freezer Pickles, make syrup of 2 cups water, 2 cups
sugar, 1 cup white vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring the
mixture to a boil, and then cool. Slice 5 cups of cucumbers
very thin (do not peel). Fill freezer containers ¾
(three-fourths) full. Pour syrup over cucumbers. Place a
crumpled piece of waxed paper on top of each container.
Cover and freeze. Thaw to serve. Makes 5 pints.
To make Simple Cucumbers and Onions, in a bowl,
slice 8-9 cups cucumbers and 1½ (one and one-half) cups
thinly sliced onions. Add 1/3 (one-third) cup canning salt
and cover the vegetables with water. Let soak 3 hours.
Drain. Heat, don’t boil, the following: 2 cups sugar, 1 cup
white vinegar, and ½ (one-half) teaspoon celery seed. Pour
over cucumbers and freeze in freezer containers. Makes 4
pints. Thaw in refrigerator and serve.
If you don’t have refrigerator or freezer storage room,
canning is still an option - even if you don’t like to can!
When you open a jar on a snowy day in December, you’ll enjoy
the fruits of your labor. For current recipes, check out
other extension guides on pickling available at your local
extension center. You also can view the guides on the web
at:
http://extension.missouri.edu/xplor/hesguide/foodnut/.
When making pickles, for best results, use “pickling-type” cucumbers, vinegar of at least 5 percent acidity, and canning salt. Freshly picked cucumbers also yield the best pickles.
Last update: Tuesday, May 05, 2009
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