**Refrigerator Pickles**

**By Chadwick Boyd**
PHOTO BY BROOKE SLEZAK

What Happens When You Pickle Pickles With Kellie Pickler? These Assorted Vegetable Pickles

I made these pickles on air with Kellie Pickler and Harry Connick, Jr. on the HARRY show a few years ago. We thought it would be fun and funny to teach Pickler how to pickle pickles! It was hilarious. Kellie, Harry, the audience and I laughed our fool heads off.

With this recipe, I make cucumber dill pickles, yellow squash pickle chips and pickled okra - refrigerator style. Which means the vegetables and their pickling juice do not have to be plunged into a boiling canner for 20 minutes to preserve them. Very few home cooks have the equipment, space, time and patience to make pickles that way.

These refrigerator pickles will last up to 1 month in the fridge. Make sure to sterilize the jars and lids before you start (I run them through the hot dishwasher to ensure they are clean and ready to go). I let the canning lids, which you can buy at the grocery store for a couple dollars, simmer in low boiling water until the jars are filled with the vegetables and pickling liquid and I’m ready to seal them. Make sure to use a very clean dish towel also. This keeps your jars assuredly sterile and clean from any spillage.

Once you get the hang of this recipe, you can adjust the pickling spices and herbs to your own taste. You can use any fresh vegetable also: cauliflower, sweet peppers, asparagus, green beans all are great!

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Chadwick’s Checklist

What you need to know before you cook.

Make sure the jars and lids are fully clean. I run them through the hot dishwasher beforehand
Leave an hour or so after making the pickles to let the jars come to room temperature before placing in the refrigerator
I like to use 3-4 pint Ball jars
You may have extra pickling brine left over; if you have enough vegetables, make a 4th jar

Serves: Makes 3 pints Prep Time: 20-30 mins Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

6 Kirby cucumbers cut into spears
2 pounds fresh okra, trimmed
1½ pounds yellow squash cut into ¼-inch thick rounds
4 cups water
4 cups cider vinegar
2 cups white sugar
¼ cup Kosher salt
3 fresh bay leaves
6 3-to-4-inch fresh sprigs of dill
7-9 whole, peeled garlic cloves
3 teaspoons black or pink peppercorns
3 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
3 teaspoons whole fennel seeds

Directions

In a large saucepan, add the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Bring to a slow boil on medium heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar and salt, about 7-8 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and let simmer while you prepare the jars.
Pack one jar each with the Kirby cucumber spears, okra pods, and slices of yellow squash. Place as many as you can until the jars are full but not packed. Add in the bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, coriander and fennel seeds; use a clean butter knife to help push them down into the jars.
Transfer the hot pickling brine to a 1-quart measuring cup (I think it's easier to pour this way). Pour the brine in each jar, filling to about ½-inch to the top. Gently tap each jar on the counter to release any air pockets from the bottom. Fill with more brine if needed.
Seal the jars tightly with the lids. Clean off the outside of the jars with a clean dish towel. Let the jars rest on the counter to room temperature, about 1 hour. Then, place in the refrigerator. The pickles are best sitting in the brine for at least one day before using. They will keep up to 1 month, sealed tightly, in the refrigerator.