My cucumbers are eating me alive! In an attempt to not waste any of my precious garden crop, I decided to give pickle-making a try. I have only ever attempted to make pickles once, and that was with my dad when I was around 5 years old, and it was a disaster! (Sorry, Dad, but the pickles were HORRIBLE!).
My mom is the one in our house who keeps us all supplied with homemade spaghetti sauce, salsa, pizza sauce and tomatoes, but can’t stomach the smell of hot vinegar and dill. So dad stepped in and the result was a stinky house and soggy, mushy pickles.
In an attempt to right a wrong, I gave refrigerated pickles a try. Only crispy, crunchy cucumbers here! I didn’t grown nice, pickling cucumbers (thin skin and small seeds), so I had to be creative. I simply cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise and scooped out the seeds. Then cut into spears or half-moons. Problem solved!
The recipe was easy. Sprinkle cut cucumbers with salt and let sit for an hour or two. Prepare the brine, fill the jars with cucumbers and brine and place in the refrigerator. The difficult part is to let them cure for 24 hours! -We might have tasted them after just a few hours (quality control).
My cute, Little Miss even got in on filling the jars with cucumbers.
Don’t these pickles just look divine?! The first batch I made 3 pints of pickles. Those were G-O-N-E in 1.5 days (only because I made everyone wait a full 24 hours before consuming them). So I made a second batch of 14 pints. We’ll see how long those last!
The hard part is waiting for them to cure!
Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles
5½ cups (about 1½ pounds) sliced pickling cucumbers
1½ tablespoons kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup light brown sugar
1½ teaspoons mustard seeds
½ teaspoon celery seeds
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine cucumbers and salt in a large bowl or colander; cover and chill 1-2 hours. Rinse cucumbers thoroughly under cold water. Drain well, and fill jars with cucumbers (any jar that seals will work).
2. Combine the granulated sugar, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds and ground turmeric in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over cucumbers; let stand at room temperature 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 months.
This RD Eats! 
I have had no luck canning pickles . . . ever! But I shall try your recipe!
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