Nick Dill Pickles

Nick is a wing-it kind of pickle maker and this is the best he could tell me. Everything, except the pickling solution, is according to whim.

Solution:

1.5 c. White vinegar
1.5 c. Apple cider vinegar
3 c. Water
1/2 c. Pickling salt

Solids:
Cucumbers
Fresh dill
Mustard seeds
Black pepper corns
Jalapeños
Garlic

Stuff the solids in whatever quantity appeals to you into your clean jars. Bring the solution to a boil and pour into the jars. Wipe the rim. Tighten down the lids. Invert the jars and let them cool. The button in the middle of the lid should pop down when it’s sealed.

You can eat them as soon as the next day. But, they’re better if you wait a couple of weeks.

ChowChow

Original recipe found here: https://www.tasteofsouthern.com/chow-chow-relish/

Ingredients

• 1/2 head Cabbage (@4 cups)
• 4-5 Green Tomatoes (@3 cups)
• 1 medium Onion
• 1-1/2 cups  Sweet Peppers
• 6 Jalapeño Peppers
• 2 Tbsp Pickling Salt
• 1-1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Celery Seed
• 2 teaspoons Dry Mustard
• 1 teaspoon Mustard Seed
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon Ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Crushed Pepper Flakes
• 2-1/2 cups White Vinegar

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Instructions

1. Chop and dice all vegetables.
2. Place in non-reactive container (glass, stainless, ceramic)
3. Sprinkle with salt. Gently mix well.
4. Let stand 4 to 6 hours, or overnight if possible.
5. Drain well.
6. Rinse and drain again.
7. Combine Sugar, Spices and Vinegar in a large sauce pot.
8. Simmer 10 minutes.
9. Add vegetables, simmer 10 minutes.
10. Bring to a boil, cook until veggies are tender.
11. Pack hot relish into hot jars, leaving 1/4inch headspace.
12. Remove air bubbles.
13. Wipe jar rims.
14. Adjust two piece caps.
15. Boil for 10 minutes in a boiling water canner. (Start the timer when it gets to a boil.)

This made exactly 4 pints.

Also, it does NOT matter how lovely all the vegetables are when you are prepping them. They will all be the same color when you get them cooked and canned.

Pickled Grapes

• 1 lb. grapes
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1/8 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

Directions

1. Wash grapes and remove from stem.
2. Slice stem end off of the grapes and pack into a quart jar containing spices.
3. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, water and sugar.
4. Bring to a boil over high heat.
5. Pour hot vinegar into jar over grapes.
6. Place a lid on the jar to seal.

The longer they wait, the better they are. We serve them with cheese as an aperitif.

Modified from seriouseats.com/pickled-red-grapes

Experiment 1/19/22:

Oblong, black grapes cut in half in a half pint jar with a stick of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp peppercorns and 1/4 tsp mustard seeds. Same brine.

Oblong, black grapes cut in half in a half pint jar with a stick of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp mustard seed and 1/4 tsp peppercorns. Brine = equal part of all 3.

Antoinette’s Pickled Green Tomatoes

Wash bottles, boil new tops a few minutes.

Fill bottles with green, cut up quarter tomatoes.

Add one or 2 pieces of garlic, about 20 dill seeds, 1 tsp of salt, if have hot pepper little piece.

Mix 1 quart of vinegar to 2 quart of water. Fill jars leaving 1/2″ space at top with above.

Seal with top and cap. Process in boiling water for 5 min. (Count processing time as soon as hot jars are placed in water.)

Put in basement. (Kitty’s addition: They are best after 2 months.)

Robin’s addition: Sometimes I just boil the water and vinegar combo and add that to the jars directly. Then, skip processing in the water bath. It seems to work well and not affect outcome of pickles.

Robin’s Spicy Hot Green Beans

4 lbs whole green beans (washed and dried, pack in hot jars)
In each jar, add:
1/4 tsp. crushed hot pepper
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp dill seed
1 clove garlic
Combine 5 cups vinegar, 5 cups water, 1/2 c salt.  Heat to boiling. Pour over beans and seal.  (Process 10 minutes in hot water bath.)

If I do a small batch, 1 c. vinegar, 1 c. water and 1.5 Tbsp or 5 tsp salt.

Pickled Green Beans

My cousin brought pickled green beans to a family vacation. I found this recipe from Marisa McClellan’s recipe blog Food in Jars via the Splendid Table, which looks like it should taste like hers. I’m saving it here until she answers my email or I get some beans. Whichever comes first. Transcribing here for ease of use.

• 2 pounds green beans
• 2 cups apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons pickling salt
• 12-16 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
• 4 teaspoons dill seed, divided
• 4 teaspoons red chili flakes
• 3 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns

Instructions

Prepare a boiling water bath canner and 4 pint jars.

Wash and trim your beans so that they fit in your jar and leave about half an inch of headspace.

Combine vinegar, water, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.

Divide the garlic clove slivers, dill seed, red chili flake, mustard seeds, and peppercorns evenly between the four jars.

Pack the beans into the jars over the spices.

Pour the boiling brine over the beans, leaving approximately 1/4 inch headspace.

Gently tap the jars on the counter to loosen any trapped air bubbles. For stubborn air pockets, use a chopstick to wiggle them free.

Wipe rims, apply lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.

When the time is up, remove the jars and set them on a folded kitchen towel to cool. When the jars have cooled enough that you can comfortably handle them, check the seals.

Sealed jars can be stored at room temperature for up to a year. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used promptly.

Also, Boiling Water Canning instructions from the Penn State Extension service:

A water bath canner surrounds the jars of food with boiling water, transferring the heat into the jar of food. Fruits, acidified tomatoes, pickled products, and jams and jellies can be safely processed in a boiling water bath.

• Jars need to be totally surrounded by the boiling water.
• A rack is needed to allow water to circulate under the jars.
• There needs to be space at the top of the canner so that jars can be covered with one to two inches of water.
• The canner needs a lid.
• A boiling water bath canner may be purchased, or you can create a water bath canner from equipment you already have. You need a pot that is deep enough so there is space for a rack, the jars, and at least one inch of water above the jars, and room for the water to boil rapidly without boiling over.
• Note: Some newer canners are designed for processing jams and jellies and are only deep enough for pint jars.

Piccalilli

Transcribing from RiverCottage.net and grateful to Pam for posting the recipe. Not to take credit for the recipe. But, to make it easy to edit my tweaks as I get familiar with it.

1kg washed, peeled vegetables – select 5 or 6 from the following: cauliflower or romanesco cauliflower; green beans; cucumbers; courgettes; green or yellow tomatoes; tomatilloes; carrots; small silver-skinned onions or shallots; peppers; nasturtium seed pods
50g fine salt
30g cornflour
10g ground turmeric
10g English mustard powder
15g yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp crushed cumin seeds
1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
600ml cider vinegar
150g granulated sugar
50g honey

Cut the vegetables into small, even bite-sized pieces. Place in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Mix well, cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave in a cool place for 24 hours, then rinse the veg with ice-cold water and drain thoroughly.

Blend the cornflour, turmeric, mustard powder, mustard seeds, cumin and coriander to a smooth paste with a little of the vinegar. Put the rest of the vinegar into a saucepan with the sugar and honey and bring to the boil.

Pour a little of the hot vinegar over the blended spice paste, stir well and return to the pan. Bring gently to the boil. Boil for 3–4 minutes to allow the spices to release their flavours into the thickening sauce.

Remove the pan from the heat and carefully fold the well-drained vegetables into the hot, spicy sauce. Pack the pickle into warm, sterilised jars and seal immediately with vinegar-proof lids. Leave (if you can) for 4–6 weeks before opening. Use within a year.

Curried Cauliflower

The original recipe was:

Head of cauliflower, cut bite sized
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp whole cumin seeds
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 Tbsp salt
water

Stuff vegetables and spices in a quart jar. Fill with hot, salty water, leaving about 2″ of space. Top with a fermenting lid. Let it percolate for 5-7 days.

It has been modified to suit us:

Head of cauliflower, cut bite sized
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 heaping Tbsp salt
water

I love this as an aperitif.

Pickled Beets

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/pickled-beets/ Because I love my spouse, I’ll be trying this without cloves.  (He hates them.)

8 medium fresh beets
1 cup vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons whole cloves
1-1/2 teaspoons whole allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Scrub beets and trim tops to 1 in. Place in a Dutch oven; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 25-30 minutes or until tender. Remove from water; cool. Peel beets and slice; place in a bowl and set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, cloves, allspice and salt. Bring to a boil; boil 5 minutes. Pour over beets. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Drain before serving.

Nutrition Facts
1 cup: 71 calories, 0 fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 186mg sodium, 18g carbohydrate (16g sugars, 1g fiber), 1g protein.

Pickled Okra

1 pint jar packed tight with small, whole okra
Boiling vinegar
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes

Stuff a clean jar with whole okra, dump in the red pepper flakes, cover with boiling vinegar, screw on a clean, new canning lid. Flip it over so the heat from the vinegar seals the jar.

I have been reminded that a little garlic, whole or sliced, is a nice addition.

I think I waited a week before I tried the first jar and they were lovely.