jars, lids, and bands
1. Trim the blossom ends of the cucumbers, and cut into quarters lengthwise.
2. In a very large bowl (or two large bowls), combine the cucumbers, fresh dill, red onions, and garlic and set aside.
3. In a Dutch oven, combine the water, white vinegar, sugar, and pickling salt. Bring it to a boil and simmer, stirring just until all of the sugar and salt is dissolved.
4. Pour the liquid over the cucumber mixture and allow to cool to room temperature, stirring often to make sure all of the cucumbers marinate evenly.
5. Place the cucumbers into the quart jars vertically, fully cover with the liquid, secure with lids and bands, and place in the refrigerator. Allow the pickles to sit for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator before eating, although they’ll taste even better over the next few days. These will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
Watermelon Rind Pickles
If you’ve never tried watermelon rind pickles, you might think they sound odd. But the texture of the skin and the white portion of the flesh of the watermelon are remarkably similar to cucumbers. This recipe will also work beautifully with honeydew or cantaloupe rind, winter squash, and even pumpkin! Change the fruit with the season, and give the pickles away as gifts.
| • 4 pounds watermelon rind (about half of a medium watermelon)• 2 cups white vinegar• 1 quart plus 2 cups water, divided• ¼ cup pickling salt (or more if needed)• 4 cups granulated sugar | • 3 cinnamon sticks• 1 teaspoon whole cloves• 1 teaspoon whole allspice• 1 lemon, thinly sliced• 6 pint jars, lids, and bands |
1. Trim all of the red flesh from the watermelon rind, and then cut the rind into 1-inch-thick slices. This will make it easier for you to peel the tough outer skin away with a vegetable peeler or paring knife. Once peeled, cut the rind into chunks about 1-inch square.
2. Place the rind in a very large bowl, and combine a quart of water and ¼ cup pickling salt, mixing well. Pour over the rind. (If this is not enough to cover the rind, add another quart of water and another ¼ cup pickling salt.)
3. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for 12 hours. Drain, rinse, and drain again.
4. Fill the canner with enough water to cover the jars. Boil the water, reduce the heat to low, place the jars in the water, and simmer until ready to use.
5. In a large saucepot, combine the 2 cups of water with the sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, and lemon slices. Bring to a boil.
6. Add the watermelon rind a handful at a time until all have been added to the boiling liquid. Reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer for 30 minutes or until the rind is clear.
7. Pack into the hot jars, and distribute the boiling liquid evenly among them.
8. Remove air bubbles, wipe the rims, center the lids, and screw on the bands and adjust until they are fingertip tight.
9. Place the jars in the canner and bring to a boil. Make sure there is at least 1 inch of water covering the jars.
10. Process for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove the jars from the canner and cool.
Pickled Green Beans
Pickled green beans are absolutely addictive. They’re easy to eat, crunchy, and packed with flavor. Try a jar of these instead of a bag of potato chips! This is also a great recipe to use on asparagus; just blanch the asparagus for 1 minute before beginning.
| • 4 pounds green (string) beans• 5 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes• 5 teaspoons mustard seed• 5 teaspoons dill seed• 10 large cloves garlic, slightly crushed | • 5 cups white vinegar• 5 cups water• ½ cup pickling salt• 10 pint jars, lids, and bands |
1. Fill the canner with enough water to cover the jars. Boil the water, reduce the heat to low, place the jars in the water, and simmer until ready to use.
2. Trim the ends and any strings from the green beans. Rinse and drain.
3. Into each jar, put ½ teaspoon each of the red pepper flakes, mustard seed, and dill seed. Add one clove of garlic to each jar.
4. Pack the green beans vertically into each jar until fairly tightly packed.
5. In a saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, and pickling salt and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
6. Pour enough of the vinegar mixture into each pint jar, leaving ½ inch of headspace.
7. Remove air bubbles, wipe the rims, center the lids, and screw on the bands and adjust until they are fingertip tight.
8. Place the jars in the canner and bring to a boil. Make sure there is at least 1 inch of water covering the jars.
9. Process for 5 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove the jars from the canner and cool.
Pickled Banana Peppers
If you can keep everyone from snacking on these straight out of the jar, they make a wonderful topping for hot dogs, burgers, and sub sandwiches. They’re also great to use on steaks, as a pizza topping, or in salads. This recipe works equally well for bell peppers. Use red, orange, yellow, or a combination of colors to get the best flavor, as green bell peppers aren’t quite sweet enough.
| • 1 pound banana peppers• 4 cups white vinegar• 1¼ cups granulated sugar | • 1 teaspoon mustard seed• 1 teaspoon celery seed• 4 half-pint jars, lids, and bands |
1. Remove the stems, cores, and some or all of the seeds from the peppers, and slice into ½-inch rings.
2. Place the pepper rings into a small bowl filled with ice and water to crisp them up.
3. Fill the canner with enough water to cover the jars. Boil the water, reduce the heat to low, place the jars in the water, and simmer until ready to use.
4. In a saucepan, bring the vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, and celery seed to a rolling boil.
5. Divide the peppers evenly between the jars.
6. Pour enough of the hot pickling juice into the jars to leave ½ inch of headspace.
7. Remove air bubbles, wipe the rims, center the lids, and screw on the bands and adjust until they are fingertip tight.
8. Place the jars in the canner and bring to a boil. Make sure there is at least 1 inch of water covering the jars.
9. Process for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove the jars from the canner and cool.
Pickled Jalapeño Peppers
