Tiny Toms

2 quarts small green cherry tomatoes
2-1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons salt
4 garlic cloves, flattened
4 teaspoons mustard seeds
4 fresh dill heads, trimmed
1 medium onion, sliced

Wash tomatoes; remove stems; set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine vinegar, water and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover. Place 1 garlic clove in 1 hot jar. Add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and 1 dill head. Tightly pack one-fourth of tomatoes and one-fourth of onion slices in jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Add hot vinegar mixture to cover. Fill and close remaining jars. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Makes 4 pints.
- June

Crab Apple Pickles

2 quarts crab apples with stems (about 2 1/2 lbs)
6 cups sugar
2 sticks cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons whole allspice
1 1/2 tablespoons whole cloves
3 cups water
3 cups vinegar

To prevent apples from bursting, run a large sterilized needle through each. Tie spices in a cheesecloth bag. Combine remaining ingredients in a large sauce pot. Add spices and boil 5 minutes. Add apples, a layer at a time; cook gently until the apples are almost tender. Carefully remove apples. Repeat until all apples

are cooked. Pour boiling syrup over apples. Cover and let apples stand 12 to 18 hours in a cool place. Carefully pack apples into hot jars, leaving 1/4" head space. Remove spice bag. Bring pickling liquid ito a boil. Pour hot liquid over apples, leaving 1/4" headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust caps. Process pints and quarts 15 minutes in boiling water bath. Yield: about 6 pints.
- Edie

Cumin-Scented Pickled Shrimp

2 lb med shrimp
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 ripe but firm avocado, peeled, pitted and cut in small dice
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into small dice
1/2 red onion, cut into small dice

In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add shrimp to boiling water and cook for 2 minutes or until it turns pink and flesh is opaque. Immediately drain and refresh under cold running water. Let cool slightly. Set aside. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together vinegar, lime juice, cilantro, molasses, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and mix well to coat them with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate, stirring occasionally for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. Just prior to serving, mix in avocadoes, bell pepper and onion.

Pepper Relish

12 large green peppers
12 large red peppers
14 large onions
3 cups sugar
1 quart vinegar
3 tablespoons course salt

Cut the peppers and onions up fine and pour boiling water on them.
Let stand 5 minutes, drain.
Pour boiling water over again and let stand 15 minutes, drain.
Have the vinegar, salt and sugar mixture boiling and pour over vegetables.
Boil 30 minutes.
Ladle into sterilized jars and seal.

Pickled Corn Chunks

4 ears fresh corn
2 cups white vinegar
1 1/4 cups water
2 small onions, sliced thin
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons celery seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

remove husks and silks from corn and cut into 1 1/2" chunks.
in a deep saucepan combine remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and boil 2 minutes.add corn chunks and cook 5 minutes longer.
pack into hot sterilized pint jars and seal -- .

Cabbage Pickles

1 quart cabbage
1 quart vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1/2 cup water
1 quart onions
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 cup flour

Chop cabbage and onions fine. Add vinegar and boil for.
10 minutes. Add sugar, and salt. Mix seasonings with flour.
adding enough water to make a paste. Stir paste into.
boiling pickles and boil for 20 minute Bottle and seal while hot.

Cucumber Ketchup

1 quart ripe cucumbers, seeded, soft middle removed
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 cups vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Pare enough ripe cucumbers to make 1 quart after seeds and soft centers have been removed. Add onion, pepper, and enough water to prevent sticking.
Cook slowly, stirring frequently, until tender, about 20-30 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients. Cook slowly, stirring frequently, until thick.
Serve with burgers, as a relish with meats, etc.
The instructions didn't say anything about canning, but there is enough vinegar to can. Place into sterilzed jars(1 cup), seal, and place in water bath about 10 minutes.

Pickled Blueberries

1 1/2 teaspoons whole mixed pickling spices
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
3/4 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
2 pints blueberries, washed and picked over

Tie pickling spice ia a double-thickness cheesecloth bag. Stir together spice bag, sugar, vinegar, water and cinnamon stick in a large nonaluminum saucepan. Simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes.
Add blueberries; simmer 3 minutes or just until berries become softened.
Pour mixture into a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
To serve, remove spice bag and cinnamon stick and use slotted spoon to serve.
If not using immediately, spoon into sterilized canning jars. Refrigerate.

Pickling Spice

2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
2 tablespoons whole allspice
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons dill seeds
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves (crumbled)
2 dried red chilies (2 inches long, crumbled)

Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight jar in a cool, dark place.
Use in any pickle recipe.

Spicy Texas Cucuzza-Pepper Relish

2 lbs cucuzza, peeled and seeded
1 large yellow onion (I use Texas 1015)
2 red bell peppers, seeded
1 green bell pepper, seeded
2 large jalapenos, seeded
1/4 cup pickling salt
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
2 cups sugar
3 dried Thai chiles
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Finely chop cucuzza, onion, bell peppers and jalapeños. (This can be a time consuming step, so I use my Pampered Chef food chopper).
Place cucuzza, onions, bell peppers and jalapeños in a large mixing bowl.
Sprinkle pickling salt over cucuzza mixture and stir well to combine.
Let cucuzza mixture sit on the counter at room temperature for 1 hour.
Thoroughly rinse cucuzza mixture in a strainer under cold running water.
Use a wooden spoon to press the veggies against the side of the strainer to drain as much water as you can.
Place drained cucuzza mixture in a clean bowl.
Let sit on the counter for an additional 15 minutes, then drain again to remove excess water.
In a large stockpot, combine vinegar, sugar, Thai peppers, celery seeds, cayanne pepper, turmeric and black pepper.
Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat to simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove Thai peppers from pot and discard.
Add chopped cucuzza mixture to the stockpot.
Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until veggies are tender.
In a small bowl, combine water and cornstarch; mix to dissolve.
Pour cornstarch mixture into stockpot and cook for 5 minutes.
Pour into sterilized canning jars and process in a water bath for 10 minutes.

Kim D.

Quick Spicy Garden Mix Pickles (Refrigerator Method)

8 kirby cucumbers, sliced thick
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup fresh jalapenos or pickled jalapeno peppers, sliced
1 1/2 onions, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery ribs, sliced
3 1/2 cups pickle juice, from dill pickles
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup jalapeno juice, from pickled jalapenos
8-10 dried hot red chili peppers
5 garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Place cucumbers, cauliflower, and jalapenos (if using pickled ones) in a mixing bowl.
If using fresh jalapenos, place them in a large saucepan with the onions, carrots, celery, pickle juice, sugar, jalapeno brine, chile peppers, garlic, celery seeds, and mustard seed and bring to a boil.
Mix hot brine mixture with cucumbers in the mixing bowl, stirring to blend.
Pack mixture into a large container or jars and refrigerate for 1-2 weeks, stirring daily, until cucumbers are pickled but still crisp.
Pickles not suitable for canning or freezing. Store unused pickles in the refrigerator.

Prawn Pickle

1/2 kg prawns
4 onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons red chili powder
1/2 teaspoon asafetida powder
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/2 cup tamarind pulp, thick juice (soak tamarind in water to extract juice)
1 cup oil
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves, packed,chopped
salt

De-scale and clean the prawns.
Grind the asafoetida, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds in your grinder.
Marinate prawns with red chilli powder, tamarind juice, asafoetida-mustard-fenugreek seeds powder and keep aside for 20 minutes.
Pour a cup of oil in a frying pan.
Fry the onions and garlic in it till soft.
Add the marinated prawns and chopped corriander leaves.
Add salt to taste.
Cook for 5-10 minutes on low flame.
Serve with your favourite curry and rice accomanied with some sliced tomatoes

Thursday Magazine

Spicy Christmas Pickles

1 gallon of whole dill pickles (I prefer Vlasic)
1 head garlic, peeled
5 lbs granulated sugar
1 (5 ounce) bottle Tabasco sauce (regular)
1 (1 ounce) bottle liquid red food coloring or green food coloring

Drain pickles and rinse gallon jar.
Slice pickles into 3/4" or 1" rounds, drain again.
Into jar layer sliced pickles, peeled garlic, and sugar; add NO liquid.
Pour on whole bottle of tabasco sauce, NOTE: I have used the 2oz size when I wanted a less spicy pickle and I think tabasco is the only brand of hot sauce to use in this recipe.
Add bottle of red OR green food coloring.
Cap jar and shake.
Store in icebox and shake it daily to mix the ingredients and dissolve the sugar.
In about a week you will have brightly colored,spicy pickles!
Note: as these marinate over the week they will shrink some, so the yield will be less than a gallon.

Pickled Yellow Squash

8 cups sliced yellow squash
4 medium onions, sliced
2 bell peppers, sliced
1/2 cup non-iodized salt
3 cups granulated sugar
3 cups white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed

Place squash, onions and peppers in a large container. Sprinkle with salt. Cover with ice and fill container with water. Let mixture stand 3 hours.

Drain. Boil sugar, vinegar, celery seed and mustard seed for 3 minutes. Add the squash to sugar mixture and boil 3 minutes longer. Put squash in 8-ounce hot sterile jars. Cover with the liquid and seal.

Pickled Pigs Feet

Pigs feet
2 quarts vinegar
1 small red pepper
2 tablespoons grated horseradish
1 teaspoon whole black pepper
1 teaspoon whole allspice
1 bay leaf

Scald, scrape and clean the pigs feet thoroughly. Sprinkle lightly with salt and let stand for 4 to 8 hours.

Wash the feet well in clean water. Place in hot water on stove and cook until tender, but not until meat can be removed from bones. Pack the feet into clean canning jars, filling to within 1/2-inch of the top of jar with boiling spiced vinegar. Put on cap, screwing the band tight. Process jars in water bath for 90 minutes.

Pickled Garlic

4 oz. fresh garlic (about 1 cup)
1-1/2 cups rice vinegar - don't use seasoned rice vinegar (any other 5% acidity vinegar could be used)
2 tablespoons whole pickling spice (recipe below)
Sugar can be added to the pickling solution: a few tablespoons to 1/2 cup, to taste

Peel garlic and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain. In a small stainless steel saucepan, combine vinegar and pickling spice and bring to a boil. Add blanched and drained garlic to vinegar mixture and bring to a boil; cook for 1 minute. Pack hot garlic into hot sterilized half pint jars. Pour hot liquid over garlic, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process for 5 minutes in a boiling water bath. Refrigerate after opening.

Yield: Two half pints


Rodales Whole Pickling Spice:

2 tablespoons bay leaves
1 tablespoon cardamom seeds
1 tablespoon dried ginger root
1 stick cinnamon
1-1/2 whole dried chili peppers
2 tablespoons mustard seed
1 tablespoon whole allspice
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon peppercorns

Crush bay leaves. If you have cardamom in the pod, pound it with a mortar and pestle to extract seeds. Also pound dried ginger root and break cinnamon stick into small pieces to distribute flavors. Dried chilies can be broken or crushed into small pieces. Combine all ingredients. Blend and store in an airtight container. Use as directed in recipes. Yield: 4 oz.

NDSU Extension Service/USDA

Pickled Dill Beans

4 lbs. fresh tender green or yellow beans (5 to 6 inches long)
8 to 16 heads fresh dill
8 cloves garlic (optional)
1/2 cup canning or pickling salt
4 cups white vinegar (5%)
4 cups water
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional)

Procedure: Wash and trim ends from beans and cut to 4-inch lengths. In each sterile pint jar, place 1 to 2 dill heads and, if desired, 1 clove of garlic. Place whole beans (raw pack) upright in jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Trim beans to ensure proper fit, if necessary. Combine salt, vinegar, water and pepper flakes (if desired). Bring to a boil. Add hot solution to beans, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Adjust lids and process (raw pack in pints) in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes if 0-1000 ft. altitude; or 10 minutes if 1001-6000 ft. altitude.

USDA Extension Service

Bamia Ladyfinger Okra Relish

Saute: 1/2 cup ONION, thinly sliced, in

2 Tbs. OIL until slightly brown.
Chop: 1/2 cup ONIONS

2 cloves GARLlC
CHILI PEPPER (or use 1 tsp. crushed red pepper)
1 inch FRESH GINGER (or use 1 tsp. ground ginger).
Add to oil and saute for 1 minute.

Add 2 Ibs. FRESH OKRA, trimmed at ends and cut in 1 inch slices (or drain two 16 oz. cans of okra).

Saute for several minutes.

Add FRESH TOMATO cut in thin strips.

Saute for 5 minutes.

Pack into hot sterile jar.

Serve hot or cold with meats and fish as a side relish.

Pickled Okra

5 pounds okra
8 cups vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup kosher salt
8 cloves garlic
8 or more dried or fresh chiles

Wash okra, leaving top cam and removing excess stem. Combine vinegar, water and kosher salt. Bring to a boil. Drop okra into boiling mixture (and chiles if you're using fresh chiles) and bring to a rolling boil. Place in hot, pint-sized sterilized jars. Add one clove of garlic and, if you're using dried instead of fresh chiles, one or more dried hot chiles (depending on how hot you want them) to each jar. Seal while hot. Let stand 8 - 10 weeks before serving.

Pickled Black Eyed Peas

3 cups canned black-eyed peas
1 cup canola oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt (or Tony Chachere's if you prefer them hotter)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Drain peas.
In a medium bowl, combine oil, wine vinegar, garic, onion, salt and pepper.
Mix well.
Add peas and still well.
Place in jar and refrigerate for 24 hours. Remove garlic after 1st day.
Marinate for 2 more days before serving.
Stores up to 2 weeks.