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A few clouds. Low 53F. Winds light and variable..

A few clouds. Low 53F. Winds light and variable.

Use up leftover cucumbers from the summer vegetable garden by whipping up a batch of Refrigerator Quick Pickles.

Use up leftover cucumbers from the summer vegetable garden by whipping up a batch of Refrigerator Quick Pickles.

I confess — I am late to the quick pickle party. So simple and very tasty, quick pickles go together so fast and are great for using up those stragglers from the vegetable garden’s crops.

When I was younger, I convinced myself I didn’t like sweet pickles. My grandmothers both made many types of pickles and relishes and always had some in the relish dish on their dinner tables.

At one of my grandma’s family dinners I was offered some type of one of her sweet pickles. I remember her referring to it as a candied sweet pickle, but I could be wrong — it was a long time ago. In my young mind I believed if it included candy in the title I was going to like it. Wrong. Not only was it highly spiced, probably flavored with cinnamon and cloves, but I also recall the pickle’s consistency was nothing like any pickle I’ve ever tasted. It was kind of soft and spongy.

That one bad experience scarred me and I haven’t ventured into the sweet pickle realm since then — until now. A couple of weeks ago I found this recipe for Quick Refrigerator Pickles on Facebook. So simple were the ingredients and the method that I thought I should try it. I also had everything in the cupboard and refrigerator — another plus.

If you are a regular reader of this column, you know I couldn’t leave well enough alone so I added some dill weed and celery seed to my brine along with a sprinkle of garlic salt. I also had a quarter of a large sweet onion in the refrigerator that needed using so I sliced it thinly and layered it along with the cucumbers in my container.

I think you could use other vegetables in this brine. Cauliflower, peppers, carrots and radishes, blanched green beans or zucchini would all be good here. You could even use it to make a type of giardiniera.

The recipe for Quick Refrigerator Pickles was so good, I have made it several times. I like them topping a hamburger or a turkey sandwich or just as a snack.

A tip — the brine can be reused a time or two but eventually the juices that leach from the cucumbers during the pickling process water it down.

In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the vinegar, sugar, water and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Stir in the dill weed and celery seed.

Scrub the cucumbers well, remove the ends and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Layer into a jar or other container that can be tightly covered. Pour the cooled brine over the cucumbers. Allow the cucumbers and brine to cool to room temperature. Place the container in the refrigerator and allow it to sit overnight. Enjoy!

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