Half Sour Pickles

The BEST Half Sour Pickles recipe there is!  These easy homemade pickles taste just like New York Crunchy pickles.  No canning is needed to make these delicious pickles, just throw them in the refrigerator for a few days!   Make them to find out why they’re so popular!

If  I could stand on top of a mountain I would yell “I love pickles!”.  I really do.   They’re pretty, they’re crunchy, they’re full of flavor, they hit the right spot in the afternoon when you need a snack, they’re great on a burger, they’re great at 4AM standing in front of the refrigerator.  

How to Make Half Sour Pickles

With the cucumber plants in full producing mode right now we have been picking  (and pickling!) quite a few kirby cucumbers.  Did you know cucumbers are one of the easiest vegetables to grow?  We currently have 6 mason jars full of pickles in the refrigerator!  

If you are in Brooklyn and are in need of a pickle, I’m your girl!  I have been trying to get the perfect half sour pickles after years  of swooning at all the NYC pickle places.  Finally, I got it just right!  

Half Sour Pickles Recipe

A few notes about these  half sour beauties:

-These don’t have vinegar in them.  You see I have a fear of the smell of vinegar, I just get freaked out.  So I have been desperately trying to figure out how to make delicious pickles with seasonings to make up for the lack of vinegar. THIS IS IT!  In this one instead  of using vinegar  we use sea salt water! 

-I would leave these  in your refrigerator  at least 4  days before you bite  into one.    After that, good luck not finishing  the jar in a day or 2.  If you have  control of your fingers going in the pickle jar though, these last for weeks.

-Kirby cucumbers are the best for pickles.

Refrigerator Pickles Recipe

-If you don’t have Kirbies, that’s totally ok, but I recommend if you are using big cucumbers to  cut them up  into spears first (they will fit better into the jar most likely too).

-Please don’t skip on the seasonings.  These pickles soak alongside delicious garlic, fresh dill, peppercorns, coriander seeds, mustard seeds and bay leaves.

-This recipe uses a half gallon mason jar.   The ingredients and amount of water to salt ratio in this recipe is for this sized jar.  

-If your pickles are soft and not crunchy when done, please check out Ball Pickle Crisp.  It works great to keep that fresh crunch!

Fresh kirby cucumbers just picked from the garden!  

 
One of the yummy herbs in this recipe is coriander seeds.  If you have a cilantro plant and you neglect it, it will turn into coriander seeds. Awesome,  right?   I always  do this every year so I get fresh coriander to last until next harvest season. 

You can  use a mortar and pestle to crush your dry ingredients  or you can be like me and  just use a tool (I don’t know the name of this so let’s  just go with “tool”) to bash  it all together. A rolling pin works great too.  So does a hammer. 
Put your cucumbers in the jar, then add your garlic.

Then your crushed dry ingredients.

Pick a few  pieces of fresh dill. Doesn’t it smell great?

Then add your salt water  and fresh dill.
Keep filling your jar with water until your cucumbers are completely covered.  In  the  jar above, a little bit  of the salt water still needs to be added.

Now it’s  the hard  part.. waiting for a few days to eat them!

But when it’s time… it will be worth it!

If you are making batches as you harvest, and you use similar jars sometimes it gets confusing to keep track of the ones that have been sitting the longest.  To do this I use chalk or a Sharpie and write on the lid.  #1 = eat first, #2 = eat next, #3 = eat next next.. etc.

Enjoy! 🙂

Looking for more cucumber recipes? Try my Sugar Glazed Cucumber Bread (yes you can bake with cucumbers!), Frosted Cucumber Cookies and  Cucumber Tomato Salad!

Update:  I shared my favorite Pickled Okra recipe!

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If you try this Half Sour Pickles recipe, please leave a comment or share it on Instagram with tag #brooklynfarmgirl – I’m always looking for photos to feature and share!

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4.72 from 14 votes

Half Sour Pickles

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The BEST Half Sour Pickles recipe there is!  These easy homemade pickles taste just like New York Crunchy pickles.  No canning is needed to make these delicious pickles, just throw them in the refrigerator for a few days!   Make them to find out why they're so popular!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

serves 8

Ingredients

• 5 kirby cucumbers or however many you can fit into your jar
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• few pieces of fresh dill
• 3 bay leaves
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 cup sea salt
• 6 cups water
• additional whole coriander seeds and peppercorns to add on top

Instructions

• Wash your cucumbers.
• Dissolve your sea salt in the water.
• Grind up all the dry ingredients (coriander, mustard seeds, peppercorns, 2 bay leaves). If you don’t have a mortar/pestle, throw it in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.
• Put the cucumbers in your jar.
• Put the minced garlic in the jar, then ground up spices, then pour the salt water mixture on top. If you have any water left, disregard it.
• Add a few pieces of fresh dill on top.
• Add in your additional coriander seeds, peppercorns and bay leaf.
• Make sure your cucumbers are completely covered in water and close the jar.
• Put in the refrigerator. Let them sit for at least 4 days before eating.
• Enjoy!

Video:

Notes

This recipe is for a half gallon jar. Please make sure you are using this size as it's important for the salt to water ratio.
For a crunchy pickle add 1/4 teaspoon Ball Pickle Crisp Granules at the end.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 33kcal (2%)

Course:Snack

Cuisine:American

Keyword:half sour pickles

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