Easy Mustard Pickle Recipe…Try It, You’ll Like It!
Cucumbers have always been a staple in our family vegetable garden. I love when Britt uses them in salads of any sort…and when the girls have fancy tea parties with their Mimi, they love making simple cucumber tea sandwiches. And whether we have a surplus of cukes or not, I love making my favorite pickle recipe for sweet and tangy bread & butter pickles.
Unfortunately we got our garden in the ground late this year, so our cucumbers are still sending out their tendrils and are just now blooming. So my pickle-making will have to wait. In the meantime, I’ll live vicariously through my friend and RYG guest blogger Tracy Prather…and hope that she’s friend enough to share from her bounty! If you’re looking for a new pickle recipe, check out her recipe for Mustard Pickles below.
Several years ago, I knew this boy…and his mom made really delicious pickles. Things didn’t work out with the boy and I never got to have those pickles again. I spent many hours scouring the internet for recipes and one day I got really close…I would even say I nailed it! Not only is the taste comparable, but I am pretty sure this is a much easier version to make. Right now, my garden is producing abundant amounts of cukes…so an easy recipe let’s me stay on top on the cucumber production and my pickle-making!
What makes them so easy? There’s no canning or cooking. So of course, that means they need to be refrigerated. They are a crunchy, slightly sweet, slightly spicy pickle that will have you longing for more. I didn’t spend all that time searching because they are just okay. Could just be my opinion…so try them yourself and let me know what you think.
Ingredients for Mustard Pickle
- Quart size canning jars (I used a pint so I just ½’d everything)
- Fresh pickling cucumbers…the more you have the more you make.
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon canning salt
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- 2 cloves of garlic…minced or pressed
- Apple cider vinegar – enough to fill a quart jar packed with cucumbers 2/3 full
- Filtered cold water to top off the jars
Instructions
Cut cukes into desired shape (spears, slices, quarters) or use smaller cukes.- Pack cut cukes into a jar.
- Add dry ingredients and garlic.
- Fill jar 2/3’s with cider vinegar.
- Add cold water to fill jar to the brim.
- Seal lid and shake well.
- Leave jars out and shake every now and then for the next 24 hours.
- Refrigerate.
They are best cold…and they keep for up to a year if they are not opened. Not to worry, you won’t have them that long. Great for a snack, to throw in a picnic and the sliced version is awesome on a cheese burger or any sandwich to add a little zing. Try it…enjoy them…they’re too good and it’s too easy not to!
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Thanks Tracy for sharing this easy pickle recipe. At some point I’ll share my bread & butter pickle recipe…and they’re fairly easy to make; but this looks to be even easier! So thanks again.
Oh…by the way, I’m going to share a few tips for growing cucumbers later this week. So for those of you looking to have some farm-to-table pickles of your own, check back later for that post.
Take care all,
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Looks great, Tracy! Now to get my new neighbors on board so we can make them from their bounty!
If one wanted to process these and put them in the basement (where I have more room) is there a way to do that?
Thanks Charlene! I’ll reach out to Tracy and let her chime in. But for pickle recipes similar to this that I’ve made, they need to be refrigerated. It’s all about the “processing”…how the pickles were made. This type of pickle is a “refrigerator pickle”…vs. one that has been cured for longer…fermented. Again, I’ll let Tracy chime in…but those are my quick thoughts. Hope it helps. Take care, D.
Charlene,
Doug is correct, these are a refrigerator pickle. They cannot be stored like a canned item because the process is different and they are less resistant to unwanted bacteria growth. I am sorry that probably isn’t what you wanted to hear but don’t let it stop you from trying them. They make a great hostess gifts for cookouts, lake house visits and such, which helps with the storage issue.
Tracy
So by seal lid you only mean put a lid on not boil in a canner?
Hey Melissa…thanks for reaching out. Yes…you are correct, for refrigerator pickles like these, you do not need to boil them like you would with real canning or preserves. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. Take care, Doug
Jar on the counter shaken 2x already thank you. I’ve never had mustard pickles. My husband loves them. His mother used to make really good ones he says. But the last batch he didn’t enjoy. We made some off a recipe you had to can a few summers ago. Uh you think laying on the couch with the huge mustard container and taking off the whole cap and chugging the whole bottle…like 10 quart jars of inedible yuck. These at least smell yummy when I put the lid on thank you!! How long after the 24 hours on the counter..do you have to wait to eat them after you put them in the fridge? Being a man he’s likely not going to want to wait long…hahaha!
Too funny Melissa! Being a man myself…I don’t wait very long either and have actually eaten them right away. So if he must, he can! But, letting them wait the 24 hours will give them more time to soak up all the tasty goodie! Take care Melissa, Doug
My Dad loved to eat these pickles when he made oyster stew. I just found this recipe and made two jars last night. This morning, they already start to look like pickles! For this first batch, I omitted the garlic but will try some with garlic in the future if this batch is good.
Jody…thanks so much for reaching out and letting us know that you’ve tried our mustard pickle recipe. After tasting them I hope that they turned out like you hoped! Please let us know. Take care and I hope you have a great weekend, D.
Delicious! Heading out to the store shortly to see if I can buy some more pickling cucumbers worthy of this recipe. I can see myself making these very often. I intend to add garlic to one of my jars today to see how they taste. I really love that your recipe is for individual jars.
Thanks again!
You’re welcome Jody! Thanks for chiming in and checking out Tracy’s recipe…I’m fairly certain you’ll love them. And let me know how they taste with garlic! Thanks again and take care Jody, D.
I don’t understand why these couldn’t be processed, hot water bath or pressure canner. I know they’re meant to be a refrigerator pickle but is there something about the ingredients or the recipe that precludes additional processing? Thanks!
Linda…I am no canner, but I’m with you, I don’t see why you couldn’t process these pickles further. If you do, let me know how they turn out! Thanks for chiming in and I hope you have a great rest of your evening. Take care, D.
Hi,
I don’t mean to sound dense, but do you add the measure of the dry ingredients to each jar, i.e., 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon canning salt, 1 tablespoon dry mustard per jar?
Thanks
I was wondering the same thing, I assume the ingredients are added in the listed amount for each jar…
Yes…Josh. For each jar. Enjoy! – D.
Yes…each jar Jim. Sorry for the delay in responding. Been a crazy summer!!! Hope you’re well…and thanks for chiming in with your question. Cheers, D.
Those sound good. My cukes are just starting to have tiny fruits. I’m trying Armenian cucumbers this year. Have you ever grown those?~~Dee
Hey Dee…great hearing from you my friend. I hope you and your family are enjoying your summer. No, we’ve never grown Armenian cukes. What was your experience with them. Would love to try them out next year. Thanks Dee and take care, Doug
I am just starting to make pickles, well I’ve made the lime ones. I would like to know if it is at all possible to make mustard pickles out of already jarred pickles. As I only want to make a couple small jars as my brother and I are the only ones that like them. Thanks!
Faye, So glad you’re considering making mustard pickles. That said, I wouldn’t recommend using already jarred pickles when making them. I just think you’d end up with a lot of moosh. Thanks for chiming in and let me know how your pickle-making efforts turned out. Cheers, D.
The beauty of this recipe is that you can make just a few jars at a time!
Agreed…and thanks for chiming in Jody! I hope you have a great weekend. Take care, D.
How long will these keep on the refrigerator once they are opened?
Hey Ron…thanks for reaching out. I’m no cook, but I’ve read anywhere from a couple of weeks to a month. Personally we’ve gone longer. I’m told that you can tell if they go bad by smelling them. Just know that these refrigerated pickles aren’t really pickled, so they clearly don’t have the shelf-life that truly pickled pickles do. Thanks again and take care, D.
Thanks for your response. Sorry to hear that. I made some about ten weeks ago and have not even opened them up. Hoped that they would “age” well. Guess I will have to discard them.
How long must we wait until they are ready to eat? A week? Two? A month? We *might* have some eager taste testers in our home.
Hey Elisha, thanks for the question. I get it! I’d try to wait at least a day … not certain I could make a week … or more!!! Thanks and enjoy! – D.