by Karen Ward
1 onion, peeled and chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons ground oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher or pickling salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup cider vinegar
1 Prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For detailed instructions on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)
2 Place all the ingredients in a 5- to 6- quart pot. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring to combine. Reduce the heat to low; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
3 Ladle your hot salsa into the prepared jars; leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil (refer to Chapter 3), adding more salsa as necessary to maintain the proper headspace. Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.
4 Process the filled jars in a water-bath canner for 15 minutes from the point of boiling.
5 Remove the jars from the boiling water with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals (refer to Chapter 4 for instructions). If you find jars that haven't sealed, refrigerate them and use them within 2 months.
Per 2-tablespoon serving: Calories 6 (From fat 0); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 99mg; Carbohydrates 2g (Dietary fiber 0g); Protein 0g.
Tomatillo Salsa
Here's a welcome change from a traditional tomato-based salsa. Use this mild salsa for a chip-dipping sauce or a topper for your tacos or cheese enchiladas. Note: Tomatillos look like small green tomatoes. Remove the parchment like husks before using them.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Processing time: 15 minutes
Yield: 2 pints
2 pounds tomatillos, husks removed, cored
1 large onion, peeled
4 large Anaheim chilies, seeds and stems removed
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher or pickling salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red peppers
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (2 or 3 limes)
1 Prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For detailed instructions on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)
2 Cut the tomatillos into quarters and finely chop them in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Transfer the tomatillos to a 5- to 6- quart pot. Finely chop the onion, chilies, and garlic cloves in two batches in the food processor. Add them to the tomatillos. Stir in the cilantro, cumin, salt, peppers, vinegar, and lime juice. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer 10 minutes.
3 Ladle your hot salsa into the prepared jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil (refer to Chapter 3), adding more salsa as necessary to maintain the proper headspace. Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.
4 Process the filled jars in a water-bath canner for 15 minutes from the point of boiling.
5 Remove the jars from the boiling water with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals (refer to Chapter 4 for instructions). If you find jars that haven't sealed, refrigerate them and use them within 2 months.
Per 2-tablespoon serving: Calories 15 (From fat 3); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 38mg; Carbohydrates 3g (Dietary fiber 1g); Protein 1g.
Raspberry Syrup
Even if you love pure maple syrup, you won't be able to resist this for a flavor change. This syrup is delicious on thick, grilled French toast sprinkled with ground cinnamon and powdered sugar.
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Processing time: 10 minutes
Yield: 6 half-pints
5 cups fresh raspberries, hulled and cut in half
3 cups water
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 1/2 cups corn syrup
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon)
1 Place the raspberries in a 4- to 5-quart pot. Crush the berries with a potato masher. Add 1 1/2 cups of the water and the lemon zest. Bring the mixture to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer 5 minutes. Strain the hot mixture through a jelly bag or a cheesecloth-lined mesh strainer.
2 While the berries drain, prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For detailed instructions on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)
3 Place the sugar and the remaining 1 1/2 cups of water in a 4-quart saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cook the mixture until the temperature registers 260 degrees on a candy thermometer. Add the strained berries and the corn syrup and return the mixture to a boil, boiling the syrup for 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Remove any foam from the surface with a foam skimmer.
4 Ladle your hot syrup into the prepared jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil (refer to Chapter 3), adding more syrup as necessary to maintain the proper headspace. Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.
5 Process the filled jars in a water-bath canner for 10 minutes from the point of boiling.
6 Remove the jars from the boiling water with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals (refer to Chapter 4 for instructions). If you find jars that haven't sealed, refrigerate them and use them within 2 months.
Vary It! Substitute other berries, or a combination of berries, for different syrup flavors.
Per 2-tablespoon serving: Calories 114 (From fat 1); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 0mg; Carbohydrates 0g (Dietary fiber 1g); Protein 0g.
Chapter 8: Pickle Me Timbers!
In This Chapter
Outlining the pickling process
Soaking it up in brining solutions
Transforming your low-acid foods to high-acid pickled products
Putting crunch in your veggies
Recipes in This Chapter
Sweet Pickle Relish
Speedy Dill Pickles
Zucchini Bread and Butter Pickles
Dilly Beans
Pickled Asparagus
Spiced Pickled Beets
Pickled Brussels Sprouts
Pickling is used for a wide range of foods, including fruits and vegetables. Although pickling isn't practiced much today, don't overlook this rewarding process. This chapter gives you an overview of pickling, describing the ingredients, the utensils, and the methods used. In no time, you'll be making easy-to-prepare pickled food and condiments to wow your taste buds.
The Art of Pickling
Pickling preserves food in a brine solution, a strong mixture of water, salt, vinegar, and sometimes sugar or another sweetener, like corn syrup. Brining is what gives the vegetables the pickled texture and flavor you're going for.
Some recipes (usually older ones) include a brining step before the actual canning. Other pickling recipes add the brine solution to the raw vegetable and the brining happens in the sterile canning jar as it sits on your shelf. These recipes generally have a recommendation for how many weeks to wait for best flavor.
The ingredients
The four basic ingredients for pickling are salt, vinegar, water, and herbs and spices. Use high-quality ingredients for the best results.
The perfect balance of salt, vinegar, water, and herbs and spices safely preserves your pickled food. You can achieve this balance by precisely measuring yo
ur ingredients and following each step in your recipe.
Salt
Salt is used as a preservative. It adds flavor and crispness to your food, especially pickles. Use a pure, additive-free, granulated salt. Acceptable salts are pickling and canning salt (a fine-grained salt containing no additives), most kosher salt, and sea salt, salt produced from evaporated seawater.
Additives in salt cause cloudy liquid. Always read the ingredient label on your salt container to ensure it's additive-free. Salts not suitable for brining and pickling solutions are
Table salt and iodized salt: These contain anti-caking agents, additives that keep the salt from sticking together. These cloud your liquid. Iodine darkens food.
Rock salt: Rock salt keeps roads free of ice and isn't made for use with food. It's okay in an ice-cream freezer because it never touches the food.
Salt substitutes: These products contain little or no sodium.
Vinegar
Vinegar is a tart liquid that prevents the growth of bacteria. For pickling, you must use a vinegar with an acidity level of 5 percent. If the level of acidity isn't on the label, don't use the vinegar — the strength of the acid may not be adequate for safe food preservation.
The preferred vinegar for pickling is distilled white vinegar, which has a sharp, tart flavor, maintains the color of your food, and is relatively inexpensive. For a milder flavor, you can substitute apple cider vinegar. Keep in mind, though, that using cider vinegar will change the overall color of your finished foods, not always for the better. You may get unappetizing gray or brown results from using the wrong type of vinegar.
To avoid cloudy pickles, use a vinegar that's clear from sediment. Cider and wine vinegars often have sediment, and you may even be able to see things floating around. What causes the sediment? Vinegars that still contain the mother, a harmless bacterium that creates the vinegar but also causes sediment to form on the bottom of the bottle.
Never dilute or reduce the amount of vinegar in a recipe. To ensure a safe product, the brine must have the right acidity level. Never use a vinegar with less than 5 percent acidity.
If the flavor's too tart, add 1/4 cup granulated sugar for every 4 cups of vinegar. Treating flavors in this manner won't upset the balance of your vinegar. If you don't like the flavor when you make the recipe, try another recipe. Don't forget to jot down your changes on your recipe card!
Water
Soft water is the best water for your brine solution. Too much iron in your water can cause discoloration of the finished product. Distilled water, water with all minerals and other impurities removed, is also a good choice. If you use tap water, make sure it's of drinking quality; if it doesn't taste good to you, it won't taste better in your food. Also, avoid using sparkling water.
Herbs and spices
Use the exact amount of herbs or spices called for in your recipe. If your recipe calls for a fresh herb, use the fresh herb. If your recipe calls for a dried spice, use one with a strong aroma. (For more information on drying herbs and spices, check out Chapter 19.)
Pickling spices are blends of many spices including allspice, bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, ginger, mustard seed, and peppercorns. They're mixed by the manufacturer and vary in flavor. Although these spices are generally whole and therefore good keepers, it is best to buy fresh, new spices each year, before you start canning.
Brining education
The brining process is a key part of the pickling process because it does these important things:
Chemically, it draws out the natural juices and replaces them with salty/vinegar solution, giving your veggies that familiar pickled flavor and texture.
It extracts juice and sugar from your food, forming lactic acid, a bitter-tasting tart acid. This lactic acid serves as the preservative in your pickled food.
Because the brining solution typically includes vinegar (an acid), it safely converts your low-acid foods (those with a pH level over 4.6)to high-acid foods (with a pH level of 4.6 or less), making it safe for water-bath canning. (This is why you must prepare your recipe as it's written and not modify the amounts.).
As mentioned previously, sometimes you brine your vegetables before canning; other times, you add the brine solution to the raw vegetables and let the brining occur in the canning jar. The following sections explain how to prepare your veggies for each.
Fresh (or raw) packing: Adding brine to the raw veggies
In this method, you place fresh raw vegetables in prepared jars and then cover them with hot flavored liquid, usually a spicy vinegar, and process the filled jars in your water-bath canner. To ensure the pickling process can occur uniformly, make sure your vegetables are completely submerged in the brining solution. Most of the recipes in this chapter require raw packing.
Complete precooking
In this method, you cook your food completely before filling your jars. The following relish recipe is precooked before canning. The taste of the relish is present before you add it to the jars, and it's ready to eat once it is cooked.
Brining before canning
When brining your vegetables beforehand, how long you let your vegetables soak can vary anywhere from a few hours to several weeks. Your recipe provides the details. Here's what you need to know about these long or short brines:
Long brine: This process is primarily used for making pickles from cucumbers. The veggies stay in the brine anywhere from 5 days to 6 weeks. The brine solution is quite heavy with salt and may contain some vinegar and spices. None of the recipes in this chapter require a long brine.
Short brine: The soaking period for this method is 24 hours or less. Follow your recipe for the correct proportions in your brine solution. You use a short brine for the Sweet Pickle Relish and Zucchini Bread and Butter Pickles.
In both cases, you submerge the food in the brine solution, where it ferments (stays in the solution) for the recommended period of time. (Your recipe gives you the details.) After fermenting, follow your recipe and make a fresh brine solution for filling your jars.
Be sure to keep your food completely submerged in the brine solution, whether it's for a few hours or longer. To do this, place a sealed, water-filled glass jar on top of your food. The jar applies pressure to keep the foods submerged when you cover your brining container.
Stoneware crocks are excellent choices for brining food. You can find them at specialty cookware stores or where canning supplies are sold. But there's an important caveat: Don't use a crock that you've gotten from a thrift store or other secondhand store. Without the original packaging, you have no way of knowing whether it's lead-free and suitable for brining.
Old-time canning recipes may instruct you to "soak your pickles in salt brine strong enough to float an egg." This equates to a 10-percent brine mixture of 1 pound (about 1 1/2 cups) of salt dissolved in 1 gallon of water.
Adding crunch to your food
The best method for maintaining crispness, crunch, and firmness in your vegetables during the soaking period is to add ice, preferably crushed ice, to your soaking solution. This works best for short brine soaking.
After the soaking period, drain your vegetables in a colander, following your recipe instructions for any rinsing. Some recipes instruct you to roll the drained food in clean kitchen towels to dry it. This works well for larger pieces of food (it isn't for finely chopped relishes).
Note: In older pickling recipes, you may see the addition of alum or pickling (slaked) lime. The recipes in this chapter don't add either of these products because they aren't necessary when you're using modern canning methods.
For the best tasting pickles, follow these four tips:
Pick produce that is blemish free and pickle your produce within 24 hours of harvesting. Never use vegetables that you have to trim off spoiled or moldy parts.
To ensure that every piece is pickled at the same time, always pack your jars with uniformly sized vegetables.
Scrub the vegetables well to get rid of
any dirt, which contains bacteria, and trim 1/8 inch from the blossom and stem ends of cucumbers. These ends may have enzymes that will spoil or soften your pickles.
Pack your jars tightly. Because pickling causes vegetables to shrink slightly, having them tightly filled helps prevent them from floating.
Pickling Equipment and Utensils
In addition to the basic equipment for water-bath canning (refer to Chapter 4), you need nonreactive utensils and equipment for handling, cooking, and brining your food. Nonreactive items are made of stainless steel, nonstick-surfaced items (without a damaged nonstick surface), enamelware, or glass.
Don't use enamelware with chips or cracks or equipment or utensils made from or containing copper, iron, or brass. These items react with the acids and salt during the pickling process, altering the color of your food and giving the finished product a bad taste. Definitely don't use galvanized products, which contain zinc. These produce a poison when the acid and the salt touch the zinc, which is transferred to your food causing serious illness (or worse).
Pickled Toppers
Relish is a staple in many kitchens. Use this pickled treat anytime you'd use a relish, on a hamburger or hot dog, in tuna salad, or anytime you want to add flavor to a sandwich.
Sweet Pickle Relish
One advantage of homemade relish is mixing flavors you don't find in commercially produced relishes. Make more than you believe your family will consume in a year because this relish has a way of disappearing. Try it in homemade Thousand Island dressing.
Preparation time: 55 minutes plus 2 hours soaking time
Processing time: Halp-pints and pints, 10 minutes
Yield: 7 half-pints or 3 pints
5 to 6 medium cucumbers
3 to 4 green and/or red bell peppers
3 to 4 medium onions
1/4 cup kosher or pickling salt
Cold water, about 4 to 6 quarts