CANNING WEEK: PICKLES~DILL, BREAD & BUTTER, OKRA, ZUCCHINI, RE-DONE & PICKLNG SPICES RECIPES

PICKLING SPICE RECIPE I

INGREDIENTS:

2 cinnamon sticks, broken
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon juniper berries
1 teaspoon crumbled whole mace
1 teaspoon dill seeds
4 dried bay leaves
1 small piece dried ginger
Mix together all the ingredients.
Store in a small, airtight jar up to 2 months.
Makes about 1/4 cup.


PICKLING SPICE RECIPE II

4 cinnamon sticks (each about 3 inches long)
1 piece dried gingerroot (1 inch long)
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoon whole allspice berries
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
2 teaspoons whole cloves
2 teaspoons dill seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons whole mace, crumbled medium fine
8 bay leaves, crumbled medium fine
1 small dried hot red pepper (1 1/2 inches long), chopped or crumbled medium fine, seeds and all

DIRECTIONS:

Wrap the cinnamon and gingerroot loosely in a piece of cloth and bash them with a hammer until well crumbled. Discard any stringy parts of the ginger, then mix with other ingredients.
Store in a small, airtight jar up to 2 months.
Recipes from What's Cooking America

BREAD & BUTTER PICKLES

You should make pickles because you enjoy it, not to save money, unless you eat an astonishing volume of pickles. Just spoon the boiling hot stuff into a jar and put the lid on, with no “processing” and no need for a special canning pot. Typically the lid will suck down and seal as they cooled. If one does not, it should became the first eaten.

INGREDIENTS:

2 quarts sliced medium cucumbers
3 medium white onions sliced
1 green pepper chopped
1-2 cloves garlic
1/6 cup canning salt (i.e. 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp)

DIRECTIONS:

Combine ingredients in large glass bowl; cover w/ cracked ice and mix. Let set 3 hours, then drain in a colander. Remove garlic. In a large pot, combine this cucumber mixture with
2.5 cup sugar
3/4 tsp turmeric
3/4 tsp celery seed
1 Tbsp mustard seed
1.5 cup cider vinegar
Heat just to a boil and pour in jars. Keep for a few weeks before eating. Makes 4 pints (double everything for quarts)

SHARING A FEW TIPS:

Scrub the cucumbers with a kitchen scrub brush , fresh from the garden they have nubs and lots of dirt.
Slice an inch or so off each end of the cucumber and use an electric food slicer for consistent size pickles.
Thinly slice the onions into rings, using the food slicer or a mandolin and separate into rings.
Quarter the green peppers and use the mandolin for consistent, very thin slices.
Easily peel the garlic by placing on a flat surface and pressing firmly with the side of a knife blade or flat-bottomed cup.
If you are purchasing your cucumbers make sure to visit the farmer's market early in the morning and pick out firm, uniform sized cucs.

SLICED DILL PICKLES FOR BEGINNERS

Here’s an easy pickle recipe for beginners. These make your everyday run of the mill dill pickle slices great for putting on hamburgers.

INGREDIENTS:

3 quarts of water
1 quart of vinegar
1 cup of canning salt
3 1/2 pounds of cukes cut into slices
Whole dill

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients except dill and bring to a boil.
Get your jars ready - this makes 4 - 6 quarts or 8 - 12 pints depending on how well you pack your jars.
Boil the jars to ensure they are sterile (boil rings as well especially if pre-used.)
Remove jars and add your dill heads and leaves to the jars more or less depending on your taste now pack with your sliced cukes (note that this recipe calls for you not to cook the cukes beforehand).
After packing your jars, pour your vinegar water mixture into your packed jars. Place lids and rings and process for at least 25 - 30 minutes (remember your cukes were not cooked beforehand so you have to leave them longer to insure they get cooked to the middle).
After removing jars listen for that satisfying pop of your lids sealing. These need to sit in their jars for a couple weeks before they are ready.
For a variation on this recipe, add crushed garlic and slices of uncooked onion to your jars to get some zest.

DILL PICKLES

"This recipe for Kosher style dills was given to me 50 years ago by my aunt Nettie. The two things she found critical to crisp dill pickles were soaking the cukes in ice water for at least 2 hours and ensuring the brine is at a full boil when poured over the dills. She also used water from a mineral springs so I always use bottled water.

INGREDIENTS:

8 pounds 3 to 4 inch long pickling cucumbers
4 cups white vinegar
12 cups water
2/3 cup pickling salt
6 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
8 sprigs fresh dill weed
8 heads fresh dill weed

DIRECTIONS:

Wash cucumbers, and place in the sink with cold water and lots of ice cubes. Soak in ice water for at least 2 hours but no more than 8 hours. Refresh ice as required. Sterilize 8 (1 quart) canning jars and lids in boiling water for at least 10 minutes.
In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine the vinegar, water, and pickling salt. Bring the brine to a rapid boil.
In each jar, place 2 half-cloves of garlic, one head of dill, then enough cucumbers to fill the jar (about 1 pound). Then add 2 more garlic halves, and 1 sprig of dill. Fill jars with hot brine. Seal jars, making sure you have cleaned the jar's rims of any residue.
Process sealed jars in a boiling water bath. Process quart jars for 15 minutes.
Store pickles for a minimum of 8 weeks before eating. Refrigerate after opening. Pickles will keep for up to 2 years if stored in a cool dry place.

ZUCCHINI PICKLES

These pickled zucchini are amazing.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound zucchini
1 small yellow onion
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed yellow and/or brown mustard seeds
Scant 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

DIRECTIONS:

Wash and trim the zucchini, then slice them one-sixteenth-inch thick; a mandoline works best, but a good sharp knife is fine, too. Slice the onion very thin as well. Combine the zucchini and onions in a large but shallow nonreactive bowl, add the salt and toss to distribute. Add a few ice cubes and cold water to cover, then stir to dissolve the salt.
After about 1 hour, taste and feel a piece of zucchini - it should be slightly softened. Drain and pat dry.
Combine the vinegar, sugar, dry mustard, mustard seeds and turmeric in a small saucepan and simmer for 3 minutes. Set aside until just warm to the touch. (If the brine is too hot, it will cook the vegetables and make the pickles soft instead of crisp.)
Return the zucchini to a dry bowl and pour over the cooled brine. Stir to distribute the spices. Transfer the pickle to jars, preferably ones that have "shoulders" to hold the zucchini and onions beneath the surface of the brine. Seal tightly and refrigerate for at least a day before serving to allow the flavors to mellow and permeate the zucchini, turning them a brilliant chartreuse color. Makes 3 cups
Adapted from Judy Rodgers' "The Zuni Café Cookbook."

SPICY PICKLED OKRA

Make good use of an abundant summer okra harvest by whipping up these spicy pickles.

INGREDIENTS:

3 1/2 lbs. small okra pods
5 cloves garlic
5 small fresh hot peppers
1 quart water
1 pint vinegar (5% acidity)
1/3 c. pickling salt
fresh dill (1 or 2 sprigs per jar)

DIRECTIONS:

Pack okra tightly into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Place a clove of garlic, a hot pepper and the dill sprigs in each of the jars.
Combine remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Pour vinegar mixture over okra, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
Cover at once with metal lids, and screw bands tight. Process in boiling-water bath for 10 minutes.
Makes 4 to 5 pints.
Recioe from epicurean.com



TERRI’S TO DIE FOR PICKLES

My friend Terri, from Mississippi, sent me a quart jar of these pickles and they are the best re-done pickles I have ever ate…so naturally I asked for the recipe and here it is. You’ll are going to love them!
Well, here is my recipe for my pickles. Let me tell u a few things before I give the recipe. I usually get the gallon jar of hamburger slices at Sam’s. I think they are around $3.74. Really cheap. I usually try to get around 4 jars as I want to make a few and might as well do it all at once. The secret to the pickles is to drain them well. When I first made them I learned a few things the hard way. One was draining them. If you don’t the juice will be thin and watery, they r still good, but not like I like. I pour a jar of pickles into a colander and every once in awhile, I shake it to release more juice. Then when I put them into the sterilized jars, until the syrup is done, I constantly turn the jars over and drain them to release the juice. I strive for the least amount of pickle juice. You will see what I mean when u make them. My recipe doesn’t call for peppercorns, but I put a lot in it(I get those at sam’s too), also the garlic, I put a lot of the chopped, as I love a lot of garlic in mine. I don’t use what it recommends. If I have a cinnamon stick, (and no u can’t use craft cinnamon lol lol). I use it, but mostly I use ground cinnamon. I just sprinkle some in the syrup before it cooks. You know what I put in some of mine too, I add slices of jalapeños. And I also have added sliced onions. I tried canned beets and was disappointed as they didn’t taste like I wanted. I think I didn’t drain them enough. You know I think dill pickles are very sour, where the kosher dills are milder. I might have to try the dill once to see how they do, sounds yummy. Also, something important, I have tried the whole pickles and sliced them, but they don’t turn out as good as the hamburger slices. You can try them if u want, but I don’t think you would be happy with the results. Ok, here is the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1 qt. Kosher dill hamburger slice pickles drained well
2 cloves garlic (I use the jar chopped garlic, and I use a couple tablespoons)
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup white vinegar
12 whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon (I use ground cinnamon, sprinkled till I get what I want, not much)

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all but pickles, mixing well and bring to a boil. (I cook till it is like a thicker syrup, watch it run off the spoon). Cool (I don’t let it cool, I spoon right into the jars, running a knife around inside to get the air out of the jar) I have my jars ready with pickles in the jar already, draining them constantly. Process as you would with a water bath. Let jars sit for 5 days before eating, if u can wait that long.