| |
Cucumber Recipes
Dill Pickles
Yield: about 7 pints or 3 quarts
8 pounds 4-6 inch cucumbers, cut lengthwise
into halves
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup canning salt
1 quart vinegar
1 quart water
3 tablespoons mixed pickling spices
Fresh or dried dill (one head per jar)
Wash and drain cucumbers. Combine sugar, salt, vinegar and water in
a large sauce pot. Tie spices in a spice bag; add spice bag to vinegar
mixture; simmer 15 minutes. Pack cucumbers into hot jars, leaving 1/4
inch headspace; put one head of dill in each jar. Ladle hot liquid over
cucumbers, leaving 1/4 inch
headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process pints
and quarts 15 minutes in a boiling water-canner.
Recipe Variation:
For Kosher-Style pickles add 1 bay leaf, 1 clove
garlic, 1 piece hot red pepper and 1/2 teaspoon
mustard seed to each jar. Process, same as above.
Note: When cutting or seeding hot peppers, wear
rubber gloves to prevent hands from being burned.
Cucumber Relish
Yield: about 6 pints
2 quarts chopped cucumbers (about 8 medium)
1/2 cup salt
2 cups chopped sweet green peppers (about 4 small)
4 quarts cold water, divided
2 cups chopped sweet red peppers (about 4 small)
1, 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
1 quart vinegar
1 tablespoon turmeric 2 sticks cinnamon
1 tablespoon mustard seed 2 teaspoons whole all-spice
2 teaspoon whole cloves
Combine vegetables in a large bowl; sprinkle with turmeric.
Dissolve salt in 2 quarts cold water and pour over vegetables; let stand
3-4 hours. Drain; cover vegetables with 2 quarts cold water and let
stand 1 hour. Drain thoroughly. Combine sugar and vinegar in a large
sauce pot. Tie spices in a spice bag; add to sugar mixture. Bring to
a boil; pour over vegetables. Cover; let stand 12-18 hours. Bring vegetables
to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until hot throughout. Pack hot relish
into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles.
Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water-canner.
|
|
Hot Pickle Mix
Yield: about 7 pints
1, 1/2 quarts 1/2 inch sliced pickling cucumbers
1, 1/2 quarts 1/2 inch sliced long red or green peppers
2 medium sweet green peppers, seeded and cut/strips
2 medium sweet red peppers, seeded and cut/strips
1, 1/2 cups sliced carrots (about 3 medium)
3 cups cauliflowerets (one small head)
1 cup peeled pearl onion
1, 1/2 cup canning salt
4 quarts plus 2 cups water, divided
3-4 jalapeno peppers or dried red pepper pods
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoon prepared horseradish
2 cloves garlic
10 cups vinegar
Combine cucumbers, green and red peppers, carrots, caulifloweretes and
onions. Dissolve salt in 4 quarts water. Pour salt water over vegetables;
let stand 1 hour. Cut hot peppers in half; set aside. Combine remaining
ingredients in a large sauce pot; simmer 15 minutes. Discard garlic.
Drain vegetables; rinse and drain thoroughly. Pack vegetables, except
jalapeno, into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Add one piece jalapeno
or red pepper pod to each jar. Ladle hot liquid over mixture, leaving
1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process
10 minutes in a boiling water-canner.
Note: When cutting or seeding hot peppers, wear
rubber gloves to prevent hands from being burned.
Sweet Gherkin Pickles
Yield: about 7 pints
8 pounds 1,1/2 - 2, 1/2 inch cucumbers
1/2 cup canning salt, divided
8 cups sugar, divided
6 cups vinegar, divided
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons celery seed
2 teaspoons whole mixed pickling spice
2 sticks cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon whole all-spice
Wash cucumbers; drain. Combine 6 quarts boiling
water and 1/4 cup salt; pour over cucumbers. Let stand 6-8 hours or
overnight. On the second day, drain. Combine 6 quarts boiling water
and 1/4 cups salt; pour over cucumbers. Let stand overnight. On third
day, drain. Prick cucumbers in several places. Combine 3 cups sugar,
3 cups vinegar and turmeric in large sauce pot. Tie whole spices in
a spice bag and add to liquid. Bring to a boil. Pour hot liquid over
cucumbers; let stand 6-8 hours. Drain cucumbers, reserving liquid. Add
2 cups sugar and 2 cups vinegar to liquid. Bring to a boil. Pour over
cucumbers; let stand overnight. On fourth day, drain, reserving liquid.
Add 2 cups sugar and 1 cup vinegar to reserved liquid; bring to boil.
Pour over cucumbers; let stand 6-8 hours. Remove spice bag. Drain cucumbers,
reserving liquid. Add 1 cup sugar to liquid; bring to a boil. Pack pickles
into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Ladle hot liquid over pickles,
leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps.
Process 10 minutes in a boiling water-canner.
|
|
| |
Cucumbers
Cucumbers should be harvested no more than 48 hours before
pickling. If preparation is delayed, the produce should be properly
stored (refrigerated) until ready for use.
Salt
Salt acts as a preservative and adds flavor and crispness to pickles.
Brine draws sugar and juices from foods and forms lactic acid, a preservative.
Pure granulated salt or canning and pickling salt should be used.
Table salt and iodized salt have additives that prevent caking and
may make the brine cloudy. Also, iodized table salt may darken pickles.
Vinegar
Vinegar gives pickles a tart taste and acts as a preservative. For
all pickle recipes, you should use high grade cider of white distilled
vinegar of 5% acidity, sometimes listed as 50 grain. Cider vinegar
with its mellow, acid taste, provides a nice blending of flavors,
but may discolor or darken produce. White distilled vinegar provides
a sharp, pungent, acid taste and will not darken of discolor produce.
Sugar
Use granulated cane or beet sugar unless the recipe calls for another
sweetener.
Spices and Herbs
Spices and herbs flavor pickles. Adding immeasurably to their tastiness.
Only fresh spices and herbs should be used. Whole fresh spices are
preferred; dry, powdered and salt forms may cloud the pickling mixtures;
but often, spices and herbs are tied in a cheesecloth and held in
the solution to impart their flavor, similar to a tea bag.
Water
Soft water must be used for making brine. The minerals in hard water
will have a negative effect on the quality of pickles. If soft water
is not available, water can be softened by boiling for 15 minutes
and then letting it stand for 24 hours. Carefully remove scum from
the top.. Add 1 T. vinegar per gallon of boiled water before using.
Distilled water can also
be used.
|
|
|
