1 1/4 cup pickling vinegar 1/3 cup pickling or kosher salt 4 stalks Fresh Pickling Dill 6 Garlic Cloves, peeled
2 Tbsp. Pickling Spice 3 dried Red Chilis 4 lb. Pickling cukes, approximately 35 four-inch cucumbers
Instructions
To make the brine, bring to a boil:
7 cups water
1 1/4 cups pickling vinegar
1/3 cup pickling or kosher salt
Allow to cool slightly before pouring over pickles.
Layer in a 4L jar or container (ideally an ice cream bucket!)
4 stalks of fresh Pickling Dill, folded accordion style to fit (trim dill to remove large, woody stem and discard)
6 Garlic Cloves, peeled
2 Tbsp. Pickling Spice
3 dried Red Chilis, broken in half to release the seeds
Enough Pickling Cucumbers to fit, 3-4 inches long, both ends trimmed
Pour hot brine over cucumbers, allow to cool and store in the fridge. If possible, wait a few days before you start enjoying them. Keeps for about 2 months, if they last that long!
This heritage recipe from Farmer Rob’s mom is his favorite pickle and evokes lots of memories for him whenever I make them. She always made them in an ice-cream bucket and I remember her being very excited when she sourced a studier white bucket with a red lid, which is how I remember them being served at every extended family summer picnic.
Above: Farmer Rob with his parents
There probably would have been a cousin revolt if she hadn’t brought them, and I still hear his (now very adult) cousins rave about Aunt Elizabeth’s ice-cream bucket pickles. Today Mom’s “bucket pickles” are all the rage again with chefs and home canners, and are commonly referred to as a “quick pickle” or “refrigerator pickle”. They’re super simple to make as there’s no processing or canning involved, they just require a bit of space in your fridge and won’t last long if you have a pickle lover in your family.
