Easy, Crisp, Crunchy, Summer-Fresh Freezer Pickles

You wouldn’t think a medium-sized Tupperware container of pickles made in the freezer could cause a stir. But it did.

The Tupperware in question was the one that my friend Kim brought a to a social potluck at the local church many years ago.

Kim was well-known for his gourmet cooking as well as his sense of humor and genuine zest for life. That day, everyone fluttered around him desperate to know what was inside the box.

Everyone was amazed when they tasted Kim’s crisp, crunchy pickles. They just couldn’t believe he’d made them in the freezer. 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 Kim’s freezer pickle recipe and he was generous enough to share it with us.

My version of Kim’s freezer pickle recipe has gone on to enthrall my family members – several of whom have 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:

Recipe for Summer Fresh Freezer Pickles

Ingredients

• 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

Directions

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,

Erin