Many, many years ago one of my friends brought a medium-size Tupperware container of pickles to a social potluck at the local church. He was well-known for his gourmet cooking, and everyone fluttered around Kim because of his sense of humor and genuine zest for life. One would think that a medium-sized Tupperware container wouldn’t have caused quite the stir. But it did.
Inside was a pleasant surprise of crisp, crunchy pickles made in the freezer. What was so amazing about the crisp, crunchy freezer pickles was that they resembled pickles made through the canning process, yet were so summer fresh they were even better than the canned (jarred) varieties any of the church ladies had ever tasted.
We all immediately wanted the freezer pickle recipe. Kim was generous enough to share his freezer pickle recipe with us, and my version of his freezer pickle recipe has enthralled several family members who’ve also adopted the recipe as their own.
With “pickling” cucumbers in abundance right now, it seems a shame to wait until summer to make these all-time favorite freezer pickles. This recipe is so easy it’s hardly a recipe, yet the result is so delicious that anyone who eats the freezer pickles marvels and asks for the recipe. Most think they are high quality bread-and-butter pickles:
Summer Fresh Freezer Pickles
7 cups thinly sliced pickling cucumbers (with peel)
1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, sliced paper thin to make onion ringlets
1/2 cup green and red pepper, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons pickling salt
1/2 tablespoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup distilled water
2 cups white sugar
Slice the vegetables with a mandolin (if available). Combine all the freezer pickle ingredients listed above in a bowl. Stir well; making sure sugar is completely dissolved. Cover and let stand 1-3 hours, then refrigerate for 3 days. Stir every day. Pack into small freezer containers and cover with brine, leaving some room for expansion during freezing. Freeze as desired. Thaw before serving.
How simple is that? The wonderful sweet-tart taste of bread-and-butter pickles made without too much fuss. A great freezer pickle recipe for the family cookbook!
Happy Cookbooking,
Matilda
