Most times a refrigerator pickle has a weaker brine, not strong enough to be used to process for safety reasons.
With the refrigerator pickles a person needs to be sure they are using a current, up to date recipe and method. Some of the older ones can allow listeria to grow.
The ones that are not recommended will say to let sit at room temp. for a couple days, then put in the fridge. There is not enough acid in these to keep them safe, even in the fridge. Listeria can grow in the fridge.
The others are fresh pack pickles and have a brine that will be at least half 5 % acidity vinegar to water ratio.
There are also fully fermented pickles, like you would ferment sauerkraut.
The quick pack are the fastest to make and those are the type my family likes.

What's stopping me from just boiling water bath a recipe that is a fridge pickle?

There are exceptions of course but usually fridge pickle recipes are make-and-eat recipes and aren't intended for long-time fridge storage much less acidic enough for shelf storage.

Dave

Like the others said, my understanding is that "fridge" or "freezer" recipes aren't actually processed in the canner so they have to be kept in the fridge or freezer and won't keep as long. Whereas canned recipes can be kept on the shelf long-term without requiring refrigeration. I have a glass-top stove and don't have smooth-bottom stockpot big enough to boil the jars so I have to stick with the "fridge" recipes for now. :(

I would like to have a quick pack recipe but can't find one in search, could someone help please?
Tim

Both the Ball Blue Book and NCHFP have several. I linked one Dill one below.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Quick Pack Dill Pickles

Thanks Dave

I use the Heinz dill pickle recipe. It should come up in a search.

In that pickle recipe, what is a "head of fresh dill"?

One of the big flower type parts on top of fresh dill.

Pictures of heads of dill.

Here is a link that might be useful: Head of dill pictures

Awesome! Thanks -- it's what I thought, but got different information on another site. My dill has those heads, so I'm all set!

dave why does that recipe say to leave a 1/4 inch of the stem? is it a handle?

Not Dave, but the 1/4" of stem just keeps the head together.
Otherwise you'll have a bunch of tiny stems with one seed on each floating around in your pickles.
Much easier to remove later if it's all together.

Not a safety issue, just pretty and convenient.

Deanna

Procedure: Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch slice off blossom end and discard, but leave 1/4-inch of stem attached.

anyone, this is in the recipe dave posted. why do you do that?

someone anyone. got cucs and no plan.

bump

Terry, you remove the blossom end b/c there is an enzyme there that causes softening. You can leave a little stem as a "handle" if you want but not mandatory. Of course for slices you probably want to remove both ends, for spears it's your call. HTH

Yep - spoilage from enzymes there.

Dave