First Pickling Day of the Year

It took all day, but we got lots done!

First, we tackled the beets! Picked,

cooked, peeled, cut and packed away...

11 pints (OK, 7 pints & 1 quart) of

beets were pickled! Yes, you are

seeing yellow beets!

 

Pete found some seeds for yellow beets and

had to try them this season! They have the

same flavor... not sure what the benefits are

if there are any. Maybe, it's that they

won't stain everything they touch!

 

 

 Then we moved on to the cucumbers!

 

 

 Using a favorite old family recipe,

we put frech grape leaves & fresh picked

dill into the jars before the cucs go in...

(washed & cut up of course!)

 

 

I ALWAYS invert the jars after adding the

hot brine to the jars. I think it helps with the

sealing process.... maybe it does, maybe

it doesn't, but it is what my mom always

did, therefore I do it too!

Tradition, ya know!

 

 

18 quarts all ready for the fall!!

I'm hoping there will be LOTS more

before the season is over!

 

FROM here, we picked corn... and

when I say 'we' I honestly mean, Pete!

He picked & shucked the corn....

I had the pots all ready for blanching

and another one all set up for the

ICE COLD water afterwards!

 

We cut the kernels of corn off the

now cold ears and freeze them in

the vacuum Ziploc bags!!

 

47 ears produced 32 cups

of bagged corn!

 

(I guess I was too tired to take

any pictures of the corn process!)

Lemon Cucumbers... Dill Pickles

I've never heard of 'lemon cucumbers' before

this spring. We were given a package of

seeds to try!

 They look like lemons ...  

They are perfectly round and  when less ripe,

 they are slightly yellow!

When ripe, they become 'lemony' in color

and size! QUITE INTERESTING INDEED!

CHECK THIS OUT....

All sliced and pickled

and in a dill brine!

Don't they look like lemon wedges!?

I can't wait to try them!

This jar belongs to the friend

that gave us the seeds!!

Dill Pickles & Canned Green Beans.....

The processes are different...

but the end results are the same!

Food put up in jars

for the long winter months ahead.

Our family favorite...   DILL PICKLES

This recipe has been used for a few generations

 on my husband's side of the family! I used

my mom's recipe for a while... then after

trying this dill pickle, sorry mom, but

this is got my vote!! I've been making

this recipe for the past 28 years!

Ingredients above....  cucumbers, grape leaves

and dill heads! Yup... we grow our dill and use

the heads. I've also used the fern part too

when I run short! (SIDE NOTE: the ferns

are awesome in cucumber or potato or tuna salads!)

Wash the  grape leaves & dill heads. Put one

in each WASHED & WELL CLEANED quart jar.

Then, wash the cucs, slice and put in the

jars too! Top with 1 tsp. of alum and

add the BOILING HOT brine.

(10C water, 5C cider vinegar, 1C salt)

(USE CANNING SALT)

Seal the jars with hot, clean lids & screw tops!

This recipe as it has been handed down doesn't

call for water bathing. BUT... I KNOW THE USDA

GUIDELINES SAY THEY OUGHT TO BE. IF YOU

MAKE THESE PICKLES... PLEASE USE YOUR

DISCRETION & READ UP ON THE GUIDELINES

FOR YOURSELF & MAKE YOUR OWN CHOICES.

NEXT on our agenda for the day was green beans!

Pete, being the wonderful, helping husband that he is,

picked, washed & cut up all the green beans! HE EVEN

FILLED ALL THE PINT JARS FOR ME!!

I added 1/2 teaspoon of

canning salt and then boiling water leaving 1 inch

of head space before putting the lids on.

IF I WAS USING QUART JARS

 I'D NEED TO ADD 1 TSP OF SALT

(Head space is the amount of air space between the

top of the vegetable or fruit in the canning jar

and the underside of the lid.)

Now the jars go into the pressure canner. Inside

I had about 2 inches of hot water. The jars are added

and the top put on and sealed. The stove heats up the water

and pressure builds... this type of canner is controlled by

the heat from the fire. If it has too much pressure, we turn

down the fire or if there is too little, we turn it up.

CHECK THE USDA GUIDELINES FOR

WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR WHERE YOU LIVE.

I cook them at 10 pounds of pressure

for 20 minutes for pints.

August Can Jam..... Dilly Tomatoes!

This recipe is one of my mom's doings when I was a kid, mom pickled almost anything, or so it seemed! :) One year she canned some of the cherry tomatoes, which ended up being a hit in our house! I always thought the tomato pickles and dilly beans and odds and ends of vegetable pickles were all her idea. Surprise... now years later, I'm finding recipes of some of these things in books!! It still could be that she made them with her own inspiration, who knows? But, one thing is for sure, the smell of vinegar throughout the house will always bring back fond childhood memories!

As much as I wanted to make tomato sauce, the Can Jam deadline is fast approaching and no matter how much I go out and encourage these plants to turn their fruits red, they are holding on tight to their own time table, so.... I have to settle second best. Not to worry.... I will make tomato sauce and can some stewed tomatoes IN SEPTEMBER!  :) 

 

Dilled Tomatoes

Green tomatoes (cherry or grape works best)

Grape leaves (1 per jar)

Head of Dill   (1 per jar) **or 2 tsp. dill seeds**

garlic clove   (OPTIONAL: 1 per jar)

1/2 tsp. of alum per pint  (1 tsp. per quart)

Brine 

(Enough for 7 Quarts)

10 Cups water

5 Cups cider vinegar (5% acidity)

1 Cup canning salt

Wash the tomatoes, dill & grape leaves then put 1 leaf & the dill head and/or feathery leaves

in the bottom of your jars. Add the garlic if you want it... I've done some with and some without!

Now, fill the jars with the tomatoes up to the neck and add the alum. Pour the HOT brine over the top covering the tomatoes but leaving head space in the jars. Remove air bubbles. Cover with jars with lids and water bath for 15 minutes.

I noticed that some of my garlic turned a funny, blue-green color. My first impression was that it is a similar color to a penny when it turns color. Kinda odd... so, I did a little bit of research and this is what I discovered  towards the bottom of the page in the comment section...  "Garlic will react with a small amount of copper and turn colour, but still safe to eat. Trace amount of copper in your water supply or from utensils is sufficient to cause this colour change."

I do not remember any of the garlic in my mom's pickles turning a funny color... my brother, cousins and I ALWAYS would argue over whose turn it was to eat the garlics!! I know I would have remembered it if was a weird color! I also know that she & I have the same 'Revere Ware' pots & pans that we both have used for years, and I use wooden spoons to stir with. SO, still not sure, unless it is a trace mineral in my water supply. This is one of life's mysteries that I may never have an answer for.... I think I can live with that!

Until next time, Happy & Safe Canning!

I made these the first week of August, before we went on vacation so that I could post this as soon as we got back and NOT miss the deadline! We got back tonight... and now I have some red tomatoes!! I am sooo excited to get started on sauce... it may still be a couple of weeks until I have enough red ones to can, but I can see the promise of it happening!!

Here's a Rather Funny Sounding Word.... "Cucurbits"

Here's a rather funny sounding word; "cucurbits"! This word refers to cucurbitaceae, which is the plant family  more widely known as melons & gourds!! (Including cucumbers, zuchinni, watermelons, pumpkins etc.) Who knew that?? I sure didn't! This month's 'Can-Jam' was chosen by 'Laudry Etc' .... thanks for the vocabulary lesson!

What a hard choice.... but, it is WAY TOO EARLY for pumpkins (that would have been fun) so that gets crossed off the list. I did find a delicious looking watermelon jelly recipe that I hope to try later in the summer, but for now I have to stick with cucumbers or zuchinni and the hard choice between 'Dill Pickles" (an annual event in our home!), zuchinni relish (also VERY yummy!) or the pickles that we have dubbed "Audrey Pickles"!! The boys' favorite are the dills but Audrey's favorite is the "Crisp Sweet Pickle"!! By default, since we don't have alot of cucumbers yet, the zuchinni wins!

In 1991, we traveled down to Charleston, SC and my mother's wise advice was; "Be sure to always buy a cookbook from the areas that you visit....." While we were checking out the area I found this delightful cookbook called, "Caterin' To Charleston"! It has lots of fun recipes but this one caught my eye and has been a family treasure ever since!

As with EVERY good cook, I make my own changes! The basic change that I've made to this recipe is that instead of slicing the cucumbers or zuchinnis, I use rinds. This way, I use the smaller cucs for dill pickles and the ones that get away from me, I use to make these pickles!! (Rind: peel the cuc or zuc then slice it in half, scoop out the seeds and cut the rest into bite sized chunks) BRAINSTORM: I'd LOVE to try this with recipe watermelon rinds.... I bet that would be amazing!!  **NOTE** The lime the recipe calls for is a pickling lime...  I've found the "Mrs.Wages" brand in the local feed & seed stores and in larger chains of dept. stores that carry canning supplies!

The second change I made is water bathing!!  This recipe doesn't call for water bathing, but from what I've been learning this year.... I now waterbath my pickles for 10 minutes!! 

The best thing about these pickles is that they don't need the curing time as dill pickles do!! They are ready to eat immediately! Delicious on your plate or cut up even smaller and added to potato salad!! :)