Someone left some short cucumbers in the break room at the newspaper today, which was my annual signal to make refrigerator pickles.

The term refrigerator pickles, as I was explaining to Debra Snellen while we were in Bolivia, refers to almost any recipe for pickles that does not involve canning — therefore, the finished product must be kept in the refrigerator, which means you’re going to want to make a small quantity. Some refrigerator pickles are steeped for only a short time and still have a lot of raw cucumber taste to them. I do not like raw cucumber, so this is not the type of recipe I look for. I like the recipes that come out very similar to your normal home-canned pickles. In any case, the small quantities involved are perfect for my situation.

I can never find one perfect recipe online, so every year I end up taking bits and pieces from different recipes, and forgetting to make notes on exactly what I did. I think this year’s pickles are going to be pretty close to this recipe, perhaps omitting the sugar and substituting a jalapeno pepper for the red pepper flakes. I will also add fresh dill if I can get some at the store tomorrow.

I currently have the cukes soaking overnight in a bowl of water because I recipe I used several years ago — and which I can no longer find — says that helps make the pickles crisper.

There are also similar non-canned recipes for refrigerator jam — which is an even better idea, because you can make a slightly larger quanity and freeze the excess.