The Canning Kitchen (14 page)

TIP
Play around with spices to personalize your red pickle. Try adding whole allspice, fennel seeds, peppercorns or a few whole cloves per jar. For best flavour, wait 2 to 3 weeks before opening.

P
ICKLED
P
EARL
O
NIONS

The satisfying, one-bite appeal of a pickled pearl onion is hard to resist. Pearl onions are sweeter than common onions and come in gold, white and red varieties. Toss into salads or serve on a toothpick with a cocktail. On the side of a sandwich plate, they’re a burst of homemade flavour that’ll make you smile every time.

MAKES THREE 500 ML (2 CUP) JARS

3 lb (1.4 kg) gold, white or red pearl onions

2½ cups (625 mL) white vinegar

½ cup (125 mL) water

1 tbsp (15 mL) pickling salt

Drop the onions into a large pot of boiling water and boil for 3 minutes, then transfer immediately to a large bowl of cold water. Cut off and discard the root ends, then slip off the skins by gently squeezing the onions out through the root end. Fill 3 clean 500 mL (2 cup) jars with the peeled onions up to 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the rim.

Add the vinegar, water and salt to a large saucepan. Bring just to a boil over high heat, stirring to fully dissolve the salt.

Ladle the hot liquid over the onions, leaving a ½-inch (1 cm) headspace. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes using the Processing Checklist on
page 17
.

TIP
It takes about a pound of pearl onions to fill one 500 mL (2 cup) jar. With that 1:1 ratio in mind, this recipe can easily be doubled. For tangiest flavour, wait 2 weeks before opening.

H
OT
P
ICKLED
P
EPPERS

You’ll want to add these zesty peppers to just about everything. Tuck a few inside a toasted sandwich or a burger, chop into sauces or make them your new favourite pizza topping. A little bit of zing is always a good thing!

MAKES FIVE 500 ML (2 CUP) JARS

4 lb (1.8 kg) fresh hot peppers (mostly banana peppers plus other narrow peppers for colour)

4 cups (1 L) pickling vinegar (7% acetic acid)

2 cups (500 mL) water

¼ cup (60 mL) pickling salt

Rinse the peppers under cool running water. Trim off and discard the stem ends. Pull out and discard the ribs. Give each pepper a shake or rinse again to dislodge most of the seeds. Slice the peppers into rings
⅛
inch (3 mm) thick.

In a large pot, bring the vinegar, water and salt to a boil. Add the pepper rings to the pot and return just to a boil. Remove from the heat.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop the peppers equally into 5 clean 500 mL (2 cup) jars. Ladle the hot cooking liquid over the peppers, leaving a ½-inch (1 cm) headspace. Poke a non-metallic utensil inside each jar a few times to remove any air bubbles, topping up the cooking liquid if needed. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes using the Processing Checklist on
page 17
.

TIP
Pale green banana peppers are mildly hot and turn yellow when pickled. Good choices to add to the mix are hot Fresno, poblano or Anaheim peppers. For a milder mix, choose sweet mini bell peppers. For best flavour, wait at least 2 weeks before opening.

S
WEET
G
REEN
R
ELISH

Sweet and tangy cucumber relish is a canning classic. Use a spoonful on burgers and hot dogs or in egg salad and other sandwich mixtures, or stir some into mayonnaise for a quick, best-ever tartar sauce for fish and chips.

MAKES FOUR 500 ML (2 CUP) JARS

4 lb (1.8 kg) cucumbers

2½ cups (625 mL) finely diced yellow onion

¾ cup (175 mL) finely diced green bell pepper

½ cup (125 mL) finely diced red bell pepper

¼ cup (60 mL) pickling salt

2½ cups (625 mL) white vinegar

1¾ cups (425 mL) granulated sugar

1 tbsp (15 mL) celery seeds

Rinse the cucumbers under cool running water. Trim off and discard the tips. Finely dice the cucumbers (or coarsely shred using a box grater, or chop in a food processor). In a large bowl, stir together the cucumber, onion, green pepper, red pepper and salt. Let stand for 1 hour to allow the salt to draw excess moisture from the vegetables.

Drain and rinse the vegetables in a large fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with a large double layer of cheesecloth. Firmly squeeze out the excess liquid. Transfer the vegetables to a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Stir in the vinegar, sugar and celery seeds. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat.

Ladle into 4 clean 500 mL (2 cup) jars, leaving a ½-inch (1 cm) headspace. Poke a non-metallic utensil inside each jar a few times to remove any air bubbles, topping up the relish if necessary. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes using the Processing Checklist on
page 17
.

TIP
Any cucumber variety can be used for making relish. The English cucumber is a good choice for its firmness, thin skin and nearly seedless interior.

D
ILL
P
ICKLE
R
ELISH

Get all the satisfying pucker of a crunchy dill pickle in this easy-to-make relish. Combine shredded cucumbers with chopped fresh dill and minced garlic, then pickle it all in a classic salt-and-vinegar brine. Kids and adults love this one on hamburgers and hot dogs and stirred into tuna salad or egg salad for sandwiches.

MAKES THREE 500 ML (2 CUP) JARS

10 cups (2.5 L) shredded or finely chopped cucumber

¼ cup (60 mL) pickling salt

6 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup (125 mL) finely chopped fresh dill

2½ cups (625 mL) white vinegar

2 tbsp (30 mL) granulated sugar

In a large bowl, stir together the cucumber and salt. Set aside for 1 hour to allow the salt to draw excess moisture from the cucumber.

Drain and rinse the cucumber in a large fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with a large double layer of cheesecloth. Firmly squeeze out the excess liquid. Transfer the cucumber to a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Stir in the garlic, dill, vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat.

Ladle into 3 clean 500 mL (2 cup) jars, leaving a ½-inch (1 cm) headspace. Poke a non-metallic utensil inside each jar a few times to remove any air bubbles, topping up the relish if necessary. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes using the Processing Checklist on
page 17
.

TIP
You can use pickling cucumbers to make this relish or any other firm cucumber such as commonly available English cucumbers. One English cucumber will give you about 3 cups (750 mL) shredded or finely chopped.

H
OT
D
OG
R
ELISH

Half mustard, half relish, this tangy condiment takes burgers and dogs to the next level. Keep a jar handy during grilling season, as this one will become a quick favourite. Try it on smokies and bratwurst too.

MAKES THREE 500 ML (2 CUP) JARS

4 lb (1.8 kg) cucumbers

2 cups (500 mL) finely diced yellow onion

½ cup (125 mL) finely diced red bell pepper

¼ cup (60 mL) pickling salt

2½ cups (625 mL) white vinegar

1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar

½ cup (125 mL) dry mustard

2 tbsp (30 mL) yellow mustard seeds

1 tbsp (15 mL) turmeric

Rinse the cucumbers under cool running water. Trim off and discard the tips. Coarsely shred the cucumbers using a box grater or finely chop in a food processor. In a large bowl, stir together the cucumber, onion, red pepper and salt. Let stand for 1 hour to allow the salt to draw the excess moisture from the vegetables.