Can you make low fodmap, low salt refrigerator pickles that still taste crunchy, sweet and definitely pickled? Yes, you can. How do I know? Because I adapted a recipe for pickles by using far less salt and sugar, but the recipe worked. After six hours, you can actually eat them, but after a few days in the refrigerator, they are even crunchier and sweeter.
By the way, cucumbers are low fodmap up to 1/2 cup, so I am thinking that cucumber pickles up to 1/2 cup are OK.
This picture looks as if I am canning pickles, but heavens no, I am not. I like recipes that don’t take three days to complete, which describes every canning venture I ever tried. Instead, the refrigerator “cans” the pickles.
First, I slice fresh cucumbers into 1/4″ circles. Wash and dry them thoroughly. Then sprinkle the sliced cucumbers with salt and chill them in the fridge for from one to four hours. After chilling, I place the cucumber slices in a colander and rinse and drain the slices several times using my faucet Brita filter . I never use tap water for cooking or rinsing food anymore ever since I bought the Brita filter. It can sometimes be annoying while filling a pasta pot, but for the most part, I love filtered water.
Next, I slice the onions. I set them aside with the peeled and halved cloves of garlic, while the cucumbers are chilling. Then, I divide the cucumbers and 1/2 of the onions/garlic cloves, into my chosen number of mason jars. I use Ball mason jars since that is what my mom used.
Next, in a saucepan, I heat up the water,vinegar, sugar, Equal packets and spices. Then I pour this mixture over the cucumbers making sure all is covered with liquid right to the top of the jar. If there is not enough liquid, just add more vinegar. Finally, I screw on the top, shake the pickles up and down a few times and then place the jar/s of pickles on the counter for an hour to cool down.
I then place the jar/s in the refrigerator. After six hours,(shake the jars a few times during those six hours), I have low salt, crunchy, sweet, tangy pickles worthy of any grilled burger. So easy, so delicious, and so low in salt!!!
INGREDIENTS:
6 cups of cucumbers, sliced 1/4 inch thick.
(Use 1 and 1/2 lbs of pickling cucumbers or other cucumbers. Just make sure they have that garden fresh taste and no chemical aftertaste.
1 cup of thinly sliced onion (Onions are high fodmap, but pickled onions are not.)
1/4 cup white sugar (You can use much more sugar if you wish. Many recipes use two cups)
1/4 cup brown sugar
Five or six packets of Equal
1 and 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper (optional. It adds a bit of heat to the pickle)
2 tsp mustard seed
1/2 to 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp celery seed
2 tsp turmeric
(OR just use 1 or 2 tbsp of pickling spices)
2 to 4 garlic cloves, sliced in half (you don’t eat them; they just flavor the pickles)
2 tsp or more dried dill weed or chopped up fresh dill
1 and 1/2 Tbsp salt (sea salt, kosher salt or fleur de sel.) Don’t use table salt which has chemicals that react poorly with the brine)(Also, if you don’t care about salt amounts, most recipes use 3 Tbsp of kosher salt)
Note: Most recipes use 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar, 1/2 white and 1/2 brown, or all white. I reduce the sugar and use packets of equal to sweeten up the pickles without adding so much sugar. Do what works for you. Reducing sugar or adding sugar does not throw off the recipe.
DIRECTIONS
Wash and dry the cucumbers. Slice them 1/4 inch thick. Place them in a large shallow bowl and salt them all over, using the kosher salt or fleur de sel salt. Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for from one to four hours. Then place the cucumber slices in a colander and rinse under cold water. Drain well, pat dry and return to the bowl.
Slice the onions thinly, peel and cut the garlic cloves in half. Add both to the cucumber bowl and toss around with the cucumber slices.
Measure out all the spices into a small bowl. Stir them together making sure they are well mixed. You can also use 1 to 2 tbsp of pickling spice instead.
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, place the vinegar, sugar, Equal, salt and spices. Stir well. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium low heat and simmer until the sugar is dissolved, about one minute. Turn off the heat and set aside to briefly cool.
Wash and dry 2 pint size mason jars or a quart size mason jar. You can always double everything to make more pickles.Divide your cucumber slices, garlic and onion and fill to the top of the jar(s).
Pour the sugar,vinegar, spices mixture into a measuring cup. Then, pour the liquid evenly into your jars. If the vinegar mixture doesn’t completely cover the cucumber slices, add enough vinegar to each one until the cucumber slices in each jar are covered. If you are using dill fronds, add them in there now.
Screw on the top and shake the jar up and down making sure the vinegar liquid and spices are permeated throughout the vegetable layers. Place the jar(s) in your refrigerator. Shake the pickle jar(s) once or twice in the next few hours and then, after chilling the pickles for six hours in the fridge, you can eat them.
I find these low sodium pickles are crunchy, sweet, slightly spicy and available any time I want to eat them. They keep in the fridge for several weeks. Some folks freeze them, but I need access to the pickles at all times. lol.
Low Fodmap Low-Salt Refrigerator Pickles
Ingredients
- INGREDIENTS:
- 6 cups thinly sliced mini or pickling cucumbers (slice 1/4 ")
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp Salt, Kosher or Fleur de Sel most recipes use 3 tbsp
- 1 cup medium onions or bunch of spring onions thinly sliced
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 and 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 5 or 6 packets of Equal or Splenda
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper optional. It adds a bit of heat to the pickle
- 2 tsp mustard seed
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp celery seed
- 2 - 4 garlic cloves peeled and halved
- 4 tsp or more dried dill weed and several fronds of fresh dill weed
Instructions
- DIRECTIONS:
- Wash and dry the cucumbers. Slice them 1/4 inch thick. Set aside. Slice the onion into thin slices. Peel 2 cloves of fresh garlic and slice them in half. Set them aside.
- Take out a large shallow bowl and place the cucumbers in it, salting them in layers as you go, using the 1 and 1/2 tbsp of kosher or fleur de sel salt. Do not use table salt because the chemicals in it affect the pickling brine. Cover the bowl and chill it in the fridge from 1 to 4 hours. Remove cucumbers from the fridge and place them in a colander. Rinse them well under cold running water. Drain them, pat them dry. Toss them with the sliced onions and garlic. Divide the cucumber onion mixture evenly between two pint size jars or into one quart size jar. Make sure the garlic gets into each jar as well. Set aside.
- Measure out all the spices into a small bowl. or you can substitute 1 or 2 tbsp of pickling spice instead.
- In a heavy bottomed saucepan, place the vinegar, salt, Equal, spices and sugar. Stir well. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium low heat and simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Turn off the heat.
- Place a small frond of fresh dill on the top of each mason jar or sprinkle dried dill in there.
- Pour the vinegar mixture into a cup measure. Then pour even amounts of pickling mixture into each mason jar. If the cucumber slices are not covered completely, add some vinegar until the liquid reaches the top of the jar. Screw on the top and shake the jar up and down making sure the vinegar and spices are permeated throughout the vegetable layers. Place the jars on the counter for an hour. Then place them in your refrigerator. Shake the pickle jars once or twice in the next few hours and then, after chilling the pickles for six hours in the fridge, you can eat them. They are even better if left for a week before eating them.
- I find these low fodmap, low sodium pickles are crunchy, sweet, slightly spicy and available any time I want to eat them. They keep in the fridge for several weeks. Some folks freeze them, but I need access to the pickles at all times. Low salt pickles - happiness!
