# I need a really good pickle recipe. STAT! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 26, 2006, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-really-good-pickle-recipe-stat/366032 "2006-07-26T01:13:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-really-good-pickle-recipe-stat/366032/1 "2006-07-26T01:13:13Z")
My cukes are coming in and my dithering to find a perfect pickle recipe is obvious. I haven’t one. I like my gherkins sweet and garlicy. I need help. (should I mention I’ve never done canning or pickling before either?) ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-really-good-pickle-recipe-stat/366032/2 "2006-07-26T16:03:42Z")
[QUOTE=Shirley Ujest] My cukes are coming in and my dithering to find a perfect pickle recipe is obvious. I haven’t one. I like my gherkins sweet and garlicy. I need help. (should I mention I’ve never done canning or pickling before either?) [/QUOTE] Tomorrow. It’s at home - I’ll have it for ya tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![JustAnotherGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58f4c7/32.png) [@JustAnotherGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustAnotherGeek)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-really-good-pickle-recipe-stat/366032/3 "2006-07-26T16:32:35Z")
[QUOTE=Shirley Ujest] My cukes are coming in and my dithering to find a perfect pickle recipe is obvious. [/QUOTE] I don’t know if you’d call this the perfect recipe, but everyone who’s tasted it ravers about it. I take two recipes, and mix. Instead of one batch of each, I make one double batch made from simply adding the ingredients. (From, of course, Alton Brown and Good Eats) > **[Ab's B and B's](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/abs-b-and-bs-recipe-1908804)** > > Get Ab's B and B's Recipe from Food Network and > **[Ab's B and B's](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/abs-b-and-bs-recipe-1908804)** > > Get Ab's B and B's Recipe from Food Network Oh - one more thing: the secret ingredient that I add: I stick one dried red chili pepper down the center of each jar. It does not get too spicy at all. Just a little tiny bit of heat to wake everything up. Also, i don’t “can” them - that is, they’re only “refrigerator pickles.” They’re not preserved by much of anything except the cold of the chill-chest. If you wanted to can the jars to keep them over the winter, you would need to adjust the recipe. That I don’t know how to do. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2006, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-really-good-pickle-recipe-stat/366032/4 "2006-07-26T20:12:22Z")
Do not attempt to “adjust” a refrigerator pickle recipe into a shelf-stable canning recipe. If you screw up and eat it anyway you can die.[Here](http://www.homecanning.com/usa/ALStepByStep.asp) is the beginning of a decent overview of canning technique. Pickles are a high acid food. Don’t attempt to can low-acid foods at all without a pressure canner. I don’t have a specific sweet garlicky gherkin recipe, although my bread and butter slices turned out pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2006, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-really-good-pickle-recipe-stat/366032/5 "2006-07-27T14:08:31Z")
Ok, here ya go. It’s from my friend Pat - she doesn’t use garlic, but she said you should add it with the cucumbers and onions if you like. **Pat’s Pickles** Wash and scrub cucumbers - cut up - set aside. Slice up a few onions into rings - set aside. At this point, you can slice up some garlic cloves if you like too. Mix the following syrup in a bowl: 3 C Sugar 3 C White Vinegar 1/3 C Salt 1 T Celery Seed 1 T Mustard Seed 1 T Tumeric Alternate sliced cucumbers and onions in a large container. Pack them in tight. Pour the syrup over and seal the container. Wait 10 days - stirring or shaking the pickles every few days. Refrigerate after ten days. I put the pickles and onions in smaller jars. These pickles will last up to one year, but they must be kept in the refrigerator - never store them on a shelf or in a cabinet.