Thursday, July 15, 2010

pickling

A few photos - as promised - from the steamy, summer kitchen...
(garlic dills with hot peppers)

6 comments:

Serena said...

I need the recipe!

Chelsea said...

Hi Serena -

I made a pickling brine of equal parts white vinegar and spring water (4 C. each) infused with about 3 Tb. of pickling spice (tied into a cloth bundle)which I brought to a boil and then simmered for 15 minutes. Then I packed sliced pickling cukes and sliced hot cherry peppers into hot, sterilised jars, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace, along with a garlic clove or two, a bay leaf, and about 1 1/2 tsp. pickling spice and a clean head of fresh dill. After that I ladle over some of the hot brine to cover the cukes (still leaving 1/2 inch of headspace). Wipe the jar rims clean, center the lids and screw the bands down finger-tight and process in a water-bath canner for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off, remove the canner lid and let them rest for another 5 minutes before removing them. Any that don't seal can be kept in the fridge for a few months.
I also only do a few jars at a time because that's just how many I get with the quantity of cukes coming out of the garden right now. So - if I have leftover brine, I stick it in the fridge and just bring it back up to a boil before using it for the next batch. Very simple - enjoy!

Chelsea said...

Oh - there's also 1/2 C. of pickling salt in that brine! Very important...

Chelsea said...

Ugh - and 1/4 C. (I think) of sugar - sorry this is all from memory...

The brine recipe is in this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Complete-Book-Home-Preserving/dp/0778801314/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1279286157&sr=1-1

Serena said...

Thank you so very much for sharing your recipe! Im always looking for a new pickle recipe :)
Do these pickles stay crisp?

We're in the same boat here - making only small batches. Yesterday I made 6 jars of raspberry, current and saskatoon jam :) Raspberries and currents from our own yard!

Im off to check out that book..

Chelsea said...

Ooooh - berries! You're lucky!

The pickles do stay pretty crisp (as far as homemade goes) - as long as you use pickling cucumbers. Any other variety tends to be much softer.