Small Batch Bread and Butter Pickles

When you get more cucumbers in your garden than you can keep up with in a salad, pickle them! This is an easy one jar recipe that takes almost no hands on time to make. Interesting note: The name "bread and butter" pickles seems to have originated during the Depression Era when sandwiches were made with these pickles between two slices of buttered bread. Now you can serve them with any meal you would serve pickles with and they are excellent on a burger! 

Ingredients:

2 medium garden cucumbers (14 oz/390g), sliced 1/4" thick

1/4 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp pickling salt

1 1/2 cups (360ml) vinegar

3/4 cup (150g) sugar

3 garlic buds, crushed

1 1/2 tsps mustard seeds

1/4 tsp celery seeds

1/8 tsp ground turmeric

8 black peppercorns

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tbsp water

 

Mix the cucs, onion and pickling salt in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours. Then rinse in a colander and drain.  Combine the remaining ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil then simmer 2-3 minutes or just long enough to dissolve the sugar. Add the cucs and onion to the brine and bring back to a simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Using tongs, place pickles in a sterilized jar then pour in the brine leaving 1/2" headspace. Cap and leave on counter for 2 hours. You'll need a 16 or 24 oz jar. Once the jars have cooled refrigerate them for up to 10 days. (They won't last that long though!)

Adapted from: tasty.com

 

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Giardiniera - Italian Pickled Vegetables

Here's a crunchy medley of fresh vegetables that can be whipped up in no time! Serve as an antipasto or chop it up to add to your salami and proscuitto sandwich!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups bite sized cauliflower florets

1/2 yellow or orange bell pepper, cut in 1/2-3/4" cubes

1/2 red bell pepper, cut in 1/2-3/4" cubes

3 oz green beans, cut in 1-1 1/2" pieces

1 celery stalk, cut in 1/2" slices

1 medium carrot, peeled and cut in 1/4-1/2" slices

add a jalapeño if you like a bit of heat

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

3 tsps coarse salt

1 tbsp white sugar

1 1/3 cups water

1 1/3 cups white wine vinegar

 

First, sterilize the jars and lids. Place a piece of cutlery in each jar then pour boiling water in. The cutlery stops the glass from cracking. Set the lids in a shallow bowl. When ready to seal the jars pour boiling water in the bowl to cover the lids then remove with tongs to use.

 

In a saucepan add the ingredients for the brine... the coarse salt, white sugar, water and white wine vinegar. Bring just to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Press the vegetables into the jars. Mix the seasonings and divide into the jars, placing a bay leaf in each. Pour the hot pickling brine in using a funnel. Not like I tried here when some of it missed the jar!!

 

Place the warm lids on to seal. Cool on counter for 24 hours then refrigerate at least another 24 hours or best to wait 1 week.

You can serve it with a drizzle of olive oil.

Makes about 2 - 500ml jars

Adaped from: itsnotcomplicatedrecipes.com

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Quick Refrigerator Red Onion Pickle

Prepare these pickles in the morning and have them with dinner that same night. Mom used to make these on the regular.

Ingredients:

2 medium red onions, thinly sliced

2/3 cup red wine vinegar

2/3 cup water

2 tsps sea salt

3 whole cloves (optional)

Place the sliced onions in a bowl or jar. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Then pour it over the onions.

Cool and place in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

Great on burgers or as a side to beef, pork or chicken.

Sweet and Spicy Pickled Beets, Rhubarb and Celery

The original recipe from Redpath sugar was for pickled rhubarb. but since my garden rhubarb was very weak this year I made the executive decision of adding beets and celery to this batch.

Ingredients:

4 thin rhubarb stalks

2 celery stalks

4 large cooked beets, cut in chunks

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup sugar

2 bay leaves

2 strips orange peel (no pith)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black peppercorns

1/4 tsp red chili flakes (more if you want it hot!)

Pack sterilized jars with beets, rhubarb, celery and bay leaves. You can add some celery leaves too. Then combine water, red wine vinegar, sugar, orange peel and seasonings in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour hot liquid into the jars and seal. Wait 24 hours before trying them. Jars will keep 6 months in the fridge.

And maybe next year I'll be able to try the all rhubarb version!

Green Tomato, Carrot, and Pepper Pickles

Similar to a giardiniera, these pickles work on an antipasto plate, atop a mound of ricotta on rusk or simply a pickle on your dinner plate. Aren't they pretty? 

Ingredients:

8 cups sliced green tomatoes, about 1/4 - 1/2" thick

1/4 cup coarse salt

3 cups white vinegar

1 cup water

1 red pepper, sliced

1 or 2 carrots cut in sticks

1 jalapeño, sliced in rings

2 cups olive oil

6 garlic cloves, whole or halved

2 tsps dry oregano

2 tbsps black peppercorns

In a large bowl layer sliced tomatoes with coarse salt. Cover with a plate and dishtowel and refrigerate 24 hours.

After 24 hours, drain the tomatoes in a colander and press gently. Let sit in colander 15 minutes. Again in a large bowl, mix the water and vinegar together and add the tomatoes, red pepper, carrots and jalapeño. 

Make sure they are fully submerged in the liquid. I used a plate topped with a water-filled bowl for weight. Cover with dishtowel and wait 4 or 5 hours.  Then drain and let sit in colander 30 minutes.

Combine the olive oil, oregano and peppercorns. Pack (really pack!) sterilized jars with the vegetables and a couple of garlic cloves.

Pour the oil mixture into each jar, pushing down the veggies so that everything is covered with oil. Seal the jars.

Good in the fridge for 6 months, if they last that long!

Makes about 3 pints.

Adapted from: https://carlaazevedocooking.wordpress.com/2016/11/25/italys-secret-condiment-pickled-green-tomatoes/

Sweet and Spicy Green Cherry Tomato Pickles

What to do with 4 lbs of (mostly) green cherry tomatoes at the end of the growing season?

Well pickle them of course!

Ingredients:
4 lbs green tomatoes 
1 lb onions, thinly sliced
1 head of garlic
Red pepper flakes
4 cups sugar
3 tbsps coarse salt
4 cups white vinegar (any vinegar with acidity of 5% or more)
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp celery seed
1 tbsp peppercorns
1 tbsp pickling spice

Wash the tomatoes, remove any stems then pierce a hole in each of them with a skewer as seen below. Toss with sliced onion.

Pack into sterilized jars along with a clove or two of garlic and  a pinch of red pepper flakes. Set aside.

In a saucepan combine the sugar, salt, vinegar, turmeric, celery seed, peppercorns and pickling spice.  Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Pour into the jars to 1/2" from the rim full and seal.

Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. 
Makes 3 - 1 quart or 6 - 1 pint jars.

Sandwich Bread and Butter Pickles

We received these cucumbers from a neighbour who moved away to a place where she has a humongous garden! And she grew these humongous cucs! 

Because they are so big I knew they wouldn't make crispy good dills so why not bread and butter pickles to top a hamburger or stuff in a sub?!

Ingredients:
3 lbs cucumber, thinly sliced
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1/4 cup salt
2 cups apple cider vinegar
3 cups sugar
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp pickling spice
4 allspice berries
4 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp dill seed

I actually only used 3 of the 4 cucs pictured below for this recipe, they were just soooo BIG!

I cut the cucumbers very thinly because of their thick skin. If you use younger cucs they don't have to be cut paper-thin.

Place the cucs and onion slices in a large bowl, pour the salt in then add water enough to cover. Refrigerate 6-24 hours.

Then rinse and drain them in a colander. Place them in a large pot and add the sugar and all the spices. Pour the apple cider vinegar in, stir and bring to a boil. Simmer on medium high heat for 10 minutes.

While they are cooking sterilize some jars. Boil water then pour into jars with a piece of cutlery in each to absorb the heat. Sit lids in boiling water as well. 

Then when the pickles are ready empty the water and fill each jar with pickles and some juice. I like using a wide-mouth funnel for this job but you don't have to. Put the lids on just finger tight.

Process in a hot water bath...boil water in a stock pot and carefully place the jars in making sure the water is above the lids. Boil for 20 minutes then again carefully remove them to cool on the counter. The lids should pop down and seal within a little while. Check after 24 hours and store on the shelf for 1 year (if they last that long!!) If they don't seal then re-do the whole process or just store them in the refrigerator.

Makes 3 - 16 oz (500 ml) jars

Easy Radish Pickles

These pickles are sweet, tangy and super easy to make!

1 bunch of radishes, sliced
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pickling spice
1 bay leaf

Sterilize jars and pack with thinly sliced radishes.

Mix the remaining ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil.
Pour hot liquid into each jar leaving about 1/2" head space.

Seal and store in fridge for 3-4 months.
Or process in a hot water bath to store longer on the shelf.
This is the method I use to sterilize and process jars.
http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.ca/2016/09/sterilize-and-process-jars.html

The red colour comes out of the peel almost immediately,

and you're left with this pretty pink pickle!

Chili Pickled Beets

Ok, this is the last beet recipe I'm going to make this fall. Cook beets in salted boiling water until tender.  Do not peel.  Medium beets will take about 50-60 minutes.  Drain and drop into cold water for a few minutes.  Remove peel easily.

10-12 medium beets, cooked
6 chili peppers
1  1/2 cups white vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
10 whole cloves
pinch salt
pinch pepper

Place cooked sliced beets and 1 chili pepper in each sterilized jar.

Combine 2 chili peppers, vinegar, brown sugar, cloves, salt and pepper in a saucepan and bring to a boil. 

Pour vinegar over beets and apply lids.  Process in hot water bath 10-15 minutes. 

I made 3 pint jars and had to mix up another half recipe of vinegar for a quart jar.

(Adapted from the Five Roses cookbook)

Roasted Sweet Peppers

This is the easiest thing you will ever make!

Take whole peppers and broil 3 minutes on each side until blackened.

When all sides are blackened put them in a bowl covered with plastic wrap.

After about 10 minutes peel, seed, core and collect juices.

You can use them for Roasted Sweet Pepper Lasagna

http://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2014/09/roasted-sweet-pepper-lasagna.html

Or

Marinated Roasted Peppers

1 lb roasted sweet red, yellow or orange peppers
(green peppers aren't as sweet)
2 tbsps olive oil
5 basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsps red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp salt

Mix the dressing ingredients in a jar and pack the peppers in, placing the garlic and basil leaves down the sides of the jar. 

Serve at room temperature as a pickle or you can pile them into your submarine sandwich......good idea huh?