Cucumber Pickles

[felpec]

Let me start off by saying I have HATED pickled beets for nigh on fifty years now. They have always been so sickening sweet that my teeth would ache just looking at them.

Until...my aunt (who still gardens vigorously at 82 years young) brought over a jar of her homemade ones. My DH ate the entire quart jar, but I did manage to grab the next to the last one.

I love these - and thought I'd share this recipe. It comes from a 1944 Good Housekeeping cookbook, when sugar was rationed during WWII, so they're not too sweet. And I need to go pick my 100 foot row of beets tomorrow.

2 cups cooked or canned beets, drained (save the juice)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cloves, powdered
1/2 cut clove garlic
6 tablespoons vinegar
1/4 cup water (I use the juice from cooking the beets)

Slice the beets and place in a bowl. In another bowl, measure mustard, sugar, salt, cloves and garlic. Add vinegar and water (or beet juice) gradually while stirring. When the mixture is smooth, pour over the beets.
Put in the refrigerator to chill; then remove the garlic, and serve with meat or fish.

I put the beets and garlic into quart jars and make enough liquid to cover - and I leave the garlic in there. Store in the refrigerator. I don't think this recipe is suitable for canning, due to the low ratio of sugar and vinegar to vegetable.

Enjoy!

[shelleybean]

Sounds good. I want to try this recipe this coming fall. Thanks for posting!

M.

[Mischka]

My thanks too, for posting your recipe.

Mrs. M. is an avid beet fan and I'll be sure to try it when my fall beets are ready to harvest.

She has a very old family recipe for Polish Beet Soup that I make several times a year. I have to quadruple the recipe because her family shows up with empty Tupperware containers, once the word is out I've made a batch.

I'll post it here if anyone would like it. It's customary to serve it with marble rye bread and mashed potatoes, but not mandatory.

[felpec]

Mischka,

Please do post it. I put up 20 pounds of beets yesterday, and always save the cooking water for a starter for beet soup.

Thanks.

[Granny]

This is about the recipe I have always used. After you have eaten all the beets in the jar, put peeled hard boiled eggs in and leave them a couple or three days. You then have Amish pink pickled eggs. Lovely for summer picnics.

[Earl]

Here's a couple of Webcrawler link pages if you're interested in or into lacto-fermented pickling.

http://www.webcrawler.com/webcrawler...7?_IceUrl=true

http://www.webcrawler.com/webcrawler...7?_IceUrl=true

[brokenbar]

Originally Posted by Earl

Here's a couple of Webcrawler link pages if you're interested in or into lacto-fermented pickling.

http://www.webcrawler.com/webcrawler...7?_IceUrl=true

http://www.webcrawler.com/webcrawler...7?_IceUrl=true

Thanks Earl! I was saying on another thread that this is the only way I do pickles anymore...Canning them using heat just never leaves them crisp enough.

[brokenbar]

I also forgot to mention water..I have well water and it is good but lots of minerals. I suggest you use distilled water when making pickles as minerals can cause softening and/or loss of flavor.

[cottonpicker]

earl......... THANKS!!
LarryD

[Zana]

Got this recipe from one of my Korean neighbours. I watched her make it and got to taste some right out of the gate so to speak. And it was delicious. My portion is still aging. She said to keep it at room temperature for 3 days and then in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks before eating.

Think they used one of the online translators for the translation as the lady speaks limited English. So I am still trying to find out what dropwort is. I found Korean water dropwort online. I'll have to check out the local Korean grocery stores.

Zana


Kimchi (Korean Pickled Cabbage)

Ingredients
5 cabbages – nappa or bok choy
2 raddishes
5 cloves of garlic
5 cups of coarse salt
4 green onions
1 bundle of dropwort
3 ginger root
300g of mustard leaves
½ cup of fish paste
2 cups of red chili pepper
1 cup of sticky rice paste
2 cups of sugar
2 cups of oysters

Directions
1. After cleaning the cabbages, cut them into 2 or 4 pieces.
2. Prepare salted water with a ration of 2.5 cups of salt to 10 cups of water, then soak the cabbages in it for 6-8 hours
3. Rinse the soaked cabbages in running water 3 times and then wait for them to dry a bit.
4. Cut dropwort, green onions, and radishes into lengths of 5 cm. then chop the garlic and ginger.
5. Prepare fish paste and add red chili pepper to it with sticky rice paste.
6. Wash oysters in salt water.
7. Mix the ingredients from steps 4, 5, and 6.
8. Put the mixture inside of each leaf then store in a kimchi pot. On the top, cover cabbage with a leaf and sprinkle some salt. Then place a heavy stone on top to compress it.

[Zana]

Cocktail Okra


2 pounds fresh tender okra pods
5 hot red peppers
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1 quart distilled vinegar
1/2 cup water
6 tablespoons pickling salt
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 tablespoon mustard seed

Wash okra and pack into clean jars with screw tops.
Into each jar put 1 hot pepper and 1 clove garlic.
Bring remaining ingredients to a boil and pour over the okra, filling the jars to overflowing.
Pour into jars and store in refrigerator or freeze.

 Let age for 2 months before using.


Makes 5 pints.

[Zana]

Zucchini Bread and Butter Pickles

4 quarts zucchini, cut in slices or strips
6 white onions, sliced
2 green peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic
5 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsps. turmeric
1 1/2 tsps. celery seed
2 tbsps. mustard seed
3 cups cider vinegar

Thoroughly wash and cut into slices 1/8-1/4 inch or strips, the unpeeled zucchini.
Add onions, peppers, and whole garlic cloves.
Add 1/2 cup pure salt and cover with ice cubes.
Mix thoroughly and let stand 3 hours.
Then rinse and drain thoroughly.
Combine remaining ingredients and heat slowly just to a boil.
Add zucchini mix and bring slowly to a boil again.
It should be slightly cooked yet crisp.
Pour into jars and store in refrigerator or freeze.




Makes 8 pints.

[shelleybean]

I made a gallon of these this morning. They look so yummy, I don't know if I'll be able to wait a week to try them! 8) I'll report back once we're allowed to eat them.