Smashed Radishes

Just a quick and easy small batch radish pickle. Good for when you have a handful of radishes left in the fridge!

Ingredients:

 7 radishes

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsps soy sauce

1 1/2 tsps rice vinegar

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp light olive oil

pinch red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp sesame seeds

1 tsp honey

2 basil leaves, chopped or torn 

Start by smashing the radishes with the flat side of a knife, leaving them mostly still holding together. Sprinkle salt on them and let sit 15 minutes. Drain any accumulated liquid then add the radishes and the rest of the ingredients to a jar and shake well. Ready right away or let marinate in the fridge a couple of days. Makes 2 servings

Adapted from: cjeats.recipes.com 

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Quick Bell Pepper Pickles

Looking for a quick and colourful condiment? Here ya go!

Ingredients:

2 medium bell peppers, sliced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp pickling salt

1 1/2 cups vinegar

3/4 cup 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 sliced bell peppers and onions with pickling salt in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours, then rinse in a colander and drain. Combine the remaining ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil then simmer for a couple of minutes to dissolve the sugar. Add the peppers and onions to the pot 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" head space. Cap and leave on the counter for 2 hours.  Once the jars have cooled on the counter they should be refrigerated. And ready to eat after being chilled. Makes just less than 1 quart, depending on the size of your peppers.

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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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Root Beer Jelly

This root beer jelly makes a nice glaze for pork tenderloin or try a PB and RBJ (peanut butter and root beer jelly) sandwich! It's also great on your morning toast! 

Ingredients:

1 - 900g pkg Lantic & Rogers Jam and Jelly mix

750 ml (3 cups) root beer

50 ml (3 1/2 tbsps) lemon juice (you can use bottled)

First sterilize the jars and tops that you will be using.

Then add all the ingredients to a large pot. Make sure the pot is large enough. I started out with a medium to large pot and had to transfer the mix out to a large pot as the mixture expands when heated. 

Bring everything to a boil and keep boiling for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat then stir and skim off foam for 5 minutes to achieve a nice clear jelly.

Ladle into sterilized jars leaving 1/4" head space, clean the rims if needed, then seal.

Finally, process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Check after 24 hours to make sure all the jars are properly sealed. The center of the lid should be indented. If it pops up the seal didn't take. You can try processing again or just refrigerate any jars that didn't seal.

Makes 10 - 118ml (4 oz) jars

Who knew jelly could be made from soft drinks (soda, pop)! Maybe I'll give cream soda or cherry cola a try.

A little "candy for your toast"!

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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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Homemade Freezer Salsa

This salsa is at it's best up to 4-6 months from being frozen but can be left in the freezer for 1 year though it may lose taste and texture. Thaw overnight in the fridge before you need it. This is a mild to medium salsa. If you prefer, use serrano peppers or add some red pepper flakes or hot sauce to bring up the heat.

Ingredients:

6 lbs peeled and chopped tomatoes 

2 large onions, diced

2-3 tbsps minced garlic 

1 cup diced sweet bell peppers 

2 finely chopped jalapeño peppers 

2/3 cup tomato paste 

1/2 cup white vinegar 

2 tbsps sugar 

1 tbsp pickling salt

1 tsp ground cumin 

1 tsp dry oregano 

First the tomatoes need to be peeled... an easy process really. Have a pot of water boiling. Place the tomatoes in the hot water for 1 minute then remove them to a bowl of cold water. The peels will easily come off.

Because I was going to freeze this salsa I removed as much of the watery seeds and pulp as possible leaving only the solid flesh to chop.

Combine all the ingredients in a Dutch oven or other large pot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30-45 minutes or until you reach a desired thickness. Thicker is better when freezing.

Cool completely then ladle into containers or even ziplock bags that can lay flat in your freezer. Don't forget to label/date them! 

Makes 9 1/3 cups

Serve with tortilla chips, huevos rancheros, or in enchiladas.

Here's the link to Huevos Rancheros:

https://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2018/09/huevos-rancheros.html

And this takes you to my Beef and Cheese Enchiladas:

https://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2017/01/beef-and-cheese-enchiladas.html

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Crockpot Apple Butter

This caramelized fruit spread tastes like Fall in a jar! I like mine on buttered white bread, but go ahead and have it on toast, a bowl of oatmeal or spooned over vanilla ice cream!

Ingredients:

4 lbs apples, peeled and chopped

1 cup sugar

2 tbsps cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

2 dashes of salt

Weigh your apples, then peel and core. Some peel left on the apples is ok. You can save the peels and check out the Scrap Apple Jelly recipe linked at the end of this post. Or dump in your composter.

Add all the ingredients to the crockpot, cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for 4-5 hours.

After that time the apples will be nicely browned and mushed. (That's a culinary term, right?)

Spoon the browned and mushed apples in batches into a food processor and blend to purée. If you would like your butter thicker return the purée to the pot and cook, uncovered, on high for an additional 1 hour. 

Then spoon butter into sterilized jars and close tops just finger tip tight. Using tongs, place jars in boiling water, enough to go 1" over the top of the jars, and boil for 10 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and let the jars sit 5 minutes. Then carefully remove the jars from the water. Leave the jars on the counter for 12-24 hours. After that time the center of the lid should be dimpled in.. a sign that the seal has been made and the jars may be stored on the shelf until opened. If the seal is not good you can re-do the whole thing. Heat the butter, sterilize the jars/lids, fill and process in hot water bath. Or simply keep refrigerated.

 

Makes 3 1/2 - 4 cups

Great for gift-giving!

Scrap Apple Jelly:

https://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2016/11/scrap-apple-jelly.html

Green Tomato Chutney

There are many ways to serve chutney ... the more common being with cooked pork, chicken or beef. It can be served with cold deli meats and cheese on a charcuterie board. Or use your imaginations and mix it with plain Greek yogurt for a dip, top a hamburger, glaze your butternut squash, eat it with a spoon !!!

Ingredients:

6 cups chopped green tomatoes

6 cups chopped red onions

1 cup raisins

3 minced garlic cloves

1/4 tsp cayenne powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 tsps sea salt

2 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 cups malt vinegar

Put all the ingredients into a large pot and bring to a boil.

Then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 1-3 hours until reduced down, thickened and browned.

Spoon into sterilized jars and process 10 minutes in a hot water bath. Or if you don't want to process them just keep them in the fridge but remember to use them in a month or two.

While ready to eat right away the chutney will mature and mellow (like some men do😉) after a month or so on the shelf. Once opened keep refrigerated and use within about a month.

Makes 3 1/2 cups

Blueberry Jam with Lavender Infusion

This small batch of blueberry jam is infused with a soothing hint of lavender, lightly complimenting the berries. 

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh blueberries (3 1/2 cups mashed)

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 cup sugar

2 tbsps Certo pectin crystals

1 tbsp dried lavender flowers

1 coffee filter and string

Lightly mash the blueberries in a large pot using a potato masher. Put the lavender flowers (give them a little crush first) in the coffee filter and tie up to form a bundle. Use 2 tablespoons of lavender if you want a more pronounced essence. Add the lemon juice and lavender bundle to the berries in the pot and bring to a boil. Then simmer on medium heat, stirring regularly, for 10 minutes. Remove lavender. Stir the sugar and pectin together and add to the pot. Return to a boil for 2 full minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir for 3 minutes.

Pour into sterilized jars. My sterilizing method of choice is to pour boiling water into the jars (with a piece of cutlery standing in them to avoid cracking the jars) then submerging the lids in boiling water just before using them.

Using a large funnel for filling really does help keep the mess to a minimum!

This recipe makes about 2 cups of jam. It can be refrigerated or, if you want to keep it on the shelf before opening, process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Always remember to refrigerate after opening though.

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!