Sweet Pickle Mix

Sweet Pickle Mix

Soak pickles in ice water over night. Next morning, drain and slice.

8 cups sliced cucumbers

2 onions, chopped (2½ cups)

2 cups thinly sliced peppers (I used a mixture of green, red and yellow)
2 cups cauliflower (optional)
1 cup thinly sliced carrots (optional)

3½ cups apple cider vinegar

5 cups sugar

1½ tsp. turmeric

1½ tsp. celery seed

2 tsp. mustard seed

2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/8 cup canning salt

Combine vinegar, sugar, salt and spices in preserving pot and bring to a boil.  Add vegetables and return to a boil.  Cook, stirring often 5-10 minutes. Until cucumber turn to a pale green color.  Spoon into sterilized jars, cover, seal and process in boiling hot water bath for 15 minutes.  Yield: 6 pints

© Crackerberries 2014

Old Time Mustard Pickles

Mustard Pickles

3-4 lbs. cucumbers, sliced and soaked in salt water brine overnight.

            Brine = 1 cup canning salt + 2 quarts water

½ cup prepared mustard

2¼ cups white vinegar

¼ cup canning salt

1½ cups sugar

1 tsp. turmeric

Drain and rinse pickles thoroughly (2-3 times)

Combine vinegar, sugar, salt and mustard in preserving pot and bring to a boil.

(*Combine mustard and turmeric with ¼ cup of vinegar makes the mustard blend into the other ingredients better)

Add cucumbers and return to a boil. Cook 2-3 minutes, until cucumbers change color.

Pack into sterilized jars, be sure liquid covers pickles. Seal and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Yield: 5 pints

© Crackerberries 2014

Chile Dill Pickles

4 lbs. cucumbers

14 sprigs fresh dill

35 black peppercorns

14 Chile peppers

1 qt. water

1 qt. white vinegar

¼ cup canning salt

Soak fresh washed cucumbers in tub of ice water overnight. 

Next day prepare the jars.  Drain pickles and wipe dry.

Put into each jar:

2 sprigs dill

5 peppercorns

2 Chile peppers

Slice into spears or pack whole into jars.

Boil vinegar, water and salt for 5 minutes and pour over cucumbers.  Seal and process in boiling hot water bath for 10 minutes.  Makes 7 pints.

© Crackerberries 2014

Piccalilli

Piccalilli

What better way to pay tribute to National Hot Dog Day than to make a homemade batch of relish? 

6 cups small cucumbers, finely chopped, seeds discarded

4 cups diced onions

4 cups green/banana peppers, finely chopped, seeds discarded

4 cups green tomatoes, finely chopped, seeds discarded

2-3 red Chile peppers (optional – I just happened to have some and thought they would add to the color of the relish.

Soak chopped cucumbers overnight in ice water.  The next morning, drain and add the remaining vegetables and mix well.  Sprinkle with ¾ cup canning salt, place dish towel over container and let stand at room temperature for 4-6 hours.  Rinse, drain, squeeze out excess liquid.

1 quart apple cider vinegar

5 cups sugar

1½ tbsp mustard seed

½ tbsp celery seed

½ tbsp tarragon leaves

½ tbsp whole cloves

½ tbsp whole all spice

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp ginger

1 tbsp red pepper flakes

Tie the mustard seed, celery seed, tarragon leaves, cloves and all spice in a cheese cloth and add to vinegar and sugar and bring to a boil.  Let it boil for five minutes then add veggies, turmeric, ginger and pepper flakes.  Return to a boil and simmer 15 more minutes.  Spoon into hot sterilized jars and process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes; yield: 7 pints

© Crackerberries 2013

Bread & Butter Squickles

Bread & Butter Squickle Pickles

This is Mimi’s old fashion Bread and Butter Pickle recipe with a new take of adding summer squash to the mix.

12 cups sliced cucumbers and summer squash

Place in ice water over night

Next morning drain and create three layers in large container with 2 cups sliced onions, and ¼ cup canning salt, ending with salt on top.  Cover with cloth and let stand at room temperature 3-4 hours.  Drain off liquid that forms.

3½ cups vinegar

1¼ cup water

2 cups sugar

3 tsp celery seed

3 tsp mustard seed

1 tsp curry powder —or—

(Note: I did not have curry powder but I did some research in an old spice book and found out that curry is actually a blend of six or more of the following spices: cumin, coriander, fenugreek, turmeric, ginger, pepper, dill, mace, cardamom, cloves.)

1/8 tsp of each: cumin, turmeric, ginger, dill, cardamom, ground cloves, mace & cayenne pepper.

Combine vinegar, water, sugar and spices in preserving pot and bring to a boil.  Add veggies and bring to a boil again, reduce heat and simmer for five minutes.  Pack into hot sterilized jars and seal covers according to instructions and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.  Yield: 8 pints

© Crackerberries 2013



Sweet Gherkin Pickles

Jerkin’ Your Gherkin 

 

Picked fresh from the garden

We think that’s a bargain

Wash them and put them in brine

Salt water makes them fine

Overnight let them soak

Believe me it’s no joke

Cold cucumbers work best

Harder than all the rest

Slice them with some onion

Making pickles is fun

We’re in this heat working

Jerkin’ on the Gherkin

Sliced Sweet Gherkin Pickles Recipe

½ cup salt
2 quarts water

Combine and pour over cleaned whole cucumbers, let stand in fridge overnight.

1 qt cider vinegar
6 cups sugar

Combine following spices in cheese cloth and tie
1 tbsp whole allspice
1 tbsp whole cloves
½ tbsp celery seed
½ tbsp mustard seed
1 stick cinnamon (2” long)
1 bay leaf

Drain and rinse cucumbers and slice
4 cups small white onions
2 cups sliced carrots
12-16 cups slice cucumbers

Bring sugar and vinegar to a boil. Add spice bag and vegetables and return to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Remove spice bag, pack vegetables in hot sterilized jars. Return syrup to boil and pour over vegetables. Process in hot boiling bath 5 minutes Yield 6-7 pints

© Crackerberries 2012

Sweet Mustard Pickles

                   

{SPECIAL BLEND} Mustard Pickles

I love to experiment with pickles… I thought about how chocolate and peanut butter together make an awesome candy bar, putting my two favorite pickle recipes would be the same ~  but different.  These are very sweet and very sour and very YUM!

12 cups cucumbers, sliced ¼” or so

2 cups chopped onions

5 cups sugar

3 cups cider vinegar

1½ tsp turmeric

1½ tsp celery seed

2 tsp mustard seed

1 tsp red pepper flakes

¼ cup white vinegar

¼ cup water

2 Tbsp cornstarch

½ cup Dijon mustard

Brine:  2 Quarts water and 1 cup canning salt

Brine the cucumbers overnight (cover with salt brine); drain and rinse. 

Prepare preserving jars.

In small bowl combine cornstarch, white vinegar, water, cornstarch and mustard and mix well.  Set aside.

In large preserving pot bring vinegar, sugar and spices to a boil.  Add cucumbers and cook till boiling again.  Once you have a nice rolling boil pour in cornstarch mixture and cook just until thickening.  Ladle into hot sterilized jars leaving ½ inch head space.  Wipe the rims clean; adjust two piece covers, process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.  Yield: 7 pints.

© Crackerberries 2011

Pickled Cucumbers

I know… pickled cucumbers…wouldn’t that just be pickles?  No…Actually pickles take a lot longer to pickle.  This is a quick way to have a pickled cucumber without the fuss of canning and preserving.

Ingredients

6 small pickling cucumbers

5 tbsp white wine vinegar

2 cups cold water

1 tbsp salt

2 tsp sugar

10 black peppercorns

1 garlic clove

1 bunch fresh dill sprigs (optional)

Large lidded jar (mayonnaise jars work well for this)

Directions

Cut each cucumber lengthwise into 6 spears.  Mix the wine vinegar, water, salt and sugar together.  Crush a few of the peppercorns and leave the rest whole – add to the liquid.  Cut garlic clove in ½.  Arrange cuke spears in the jar.  Pour liquid over the spears and add garlic and dill sprigs.  Make sure spears are completely submerged in liquid.  Cover and store in fridge for at least two days before eating.

© Crackerberries 2011