This recipe came straight from the Blue Ball Guide to Preserving book. For this recipe the mandolin ($3 garage sale!) came in handy. I start by taking my cukes and slicing them 1/4" thick slices.
These were washed and cleaned and set aside. It was then time to do the same for onions. This time I set the mandolin to 1/8" slices and did the same for onions.
For this recipe the cukes and onions were layered in a large pot dividing over each layer 1/3" of canning salt. (It's important to note that you must use a canning approved salt for this. I use a Kosher salt. Regular table salt has a compound in it to keep it from clumping that will turn everything cloudy. It will be ok to eat but will probably look so bad you won't want to!)
This is then covered in ice and left to sit for 1.5 hours. Mine actually sat for about 2 hours until I did other things and got back to it.
When this was all set I made my mix in a large pot:
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons mustard seed
2 teaspoons trmeric
2 teaspoons celery seed
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon peppercorns
3 cups vinegar
When this was boiling I then rinsed and drained the cukes and onions multiple times and added this to the pot as well. This was all brought back to boiling again before it was packed into clean heated jars. 1/4" of headspace was left and the jars were processed for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
I love these because they truly that have jar of pickles look! Again I have to wait 4 to 6 weeks to be able to go after them and find out! Notice how they were dated on the top before they were stored. I'm hoping to have at least another round of two of cukes out of the garden so I can try some more recipes. Plus, one of the joys of doing this is being able to share fresh healthy food with friends and family.
No comments:
Post a Comment