sweet pickle relish

the cucumbers are about done and they were forgotten for a few days and are quite large. i would now insert a photo of the too large cucs but my husband went scuba diving in the St Lawrence and took my camera.

sweet pickle relish (makes 7-8 pints)

8 cups grated cucumbers, skin on, large seeds removed
2 large onions, grated
3 green peppers, seeds removed and grated
1 red pepper, seeds removed and grated
2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed and grated
1/2 cup kosher or pickling salt

syrup
6 cups sugar
4 cups apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons celery seed
1 1/2 tablespoons mustard seed

place cucumbers, onions, peppers in a container ( i use an enameled dutch oven)
top with salt, ice and water and let soak for 2 -4 hours
drain in a colander

                                                           jaques and the camera are back

                                      bring syrup ingredients to a boil and add drained relish mix

bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes

while the mixture is simmering, time it so that the clean jars are either in a boiling water bath or the just finishing the drying cycle in the dishwasher.

the lids and caps are also boiling for at least 20 minutes

fill the hot, clean jars with the relish leaving 1/2 inch at the top. run a damp paper towel around the rim

top with a hot lid and twist on the ring

and wait for the ping!

pickled eggs

growing up in central pennsylvania, we went on lots of picnics and never without a jar of pickled eggs. at family gatherings someone always brought a jar of pickled eggs and beets. i have them in the fridge most of the time. i was telling a friend that i had started this blog and she requested this recipe. so kary, this is for you.

pickled eggs

2 dozen hard boiled eggs, peeled and placed in a large jar or covered crock (i use an old gallon mayo jar)

3 cans small or medium whole beets (now 15 oz)
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon peppercorns

place beets and beet juice in a saucepan along with the vinegar,sugar,peppercorns and salt and heat till sugar melts
pour over eggs

if the eggs are not covered, add just enough water to do the trick

let them sit on the counter till cooled and place in the refrigerator and forget about them for 2 or 3 days

slice and enjoy!

the pickled eggs will keep in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks.

my mother always made them with equal parts sugar and vinegar but aunt ruth made them with more vinegar. there is no rule, play with the recipe and ENJOY!

bread and butter

the cucumbers are still coming on strong. we have had plenty of rain and very warm weather for central NY. there are enough cucs for a batch of bread and butter pickles. I started out with gramma gearhart's recipe but it has changed quite a bit over the last 45 years. one of the items that i eliminated was green peppers.

jill's bread and butter pickles:

note: the size of this recipe can be reduced

8 quarts sliced cucumbers
5 sliced large onions
3/4 canning or kosher salt

for syrup:
5 pound bag of sugar (roughly 10 cups)
6 cups of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon celery seed
4 tablespoons mustard seed
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes(can be omitted if you can't take the heat:)

2 cloves of garlic for each quart jar

procedure:

slice 8 quarts of cucumbers about 1/4 inch thick. place in a pot, bowl or whatever you have that will hold them all.  add a heaping 1/2 cup of kosher or canning salt and cover with ice and water

let stand for at least 3 hours. during that time slice 5 large onions. i cut the onions in half and then slice them a little smaller than the cucs. peel 1 clove of garlic for each pint jar and 2 cloves of garlic for each quart jar. set aside till it is time to fill the jars.

it is a great time to get out your canning jars (enough to hold 8 quarts in whatever combination you choose) make sure that the jars are spotlessly clean and that there are no chips on the rim at the top(critical for sealing the jars) you will need a jar ring and new lid for each jar...

the canning process for these pickles is called 'hot pack'. 2 things are essential in successful canning. everything must be very clean and very hot!  i put my clean jars in the dishwasher and run it through a full cycle, timing it so that they are in the drying cycle when it is time to fill the jars. the lids and rings go into my steamer and i boil them for 20 minutes. the water is boiling as i use them.

okay: time to make the pickles.

the jars are in the rinse cycle of the dishwasher, the lids are rattling away in the boiling water on top of the stove.

drain the cucumbers

place all the syrup ingredients in a 12 gallon pot. stir till it comes to a boil.

add the onions, bring to a boil

add the drained cucumbers, continue stirring till it reaches a simmer and the cucumbers have turned from green to yellow-green

take out 1/2 of the jars and plop in garlic

fill jars 3/4 with pickles and top with syrup, leaving 1/2 inch at top

run clean damp paper towel around top of jar to make sure no seeds are there

take out hot lid and ring and secure lid on jar (twist)

continue procedure till all pickles and syrup are gone

now you can not mess with these jars till you have heard the magic 'ping' which means that the jars have sealed. when the jars have cooled, you can check to make sure that they are sealed by pressing on the center of the lid. there will be no play on sealed jars

if by some missed seed, chip in the rim, etc that one of the jars has not sealed...just place it in the frig and eat them in a couple of weeks

if you have leftover syrup: combine it with mayo,shredded cabbage and make coleslaw.

ENJOY! 

cucumbers, random thoughts and open crock dills

DILL PICKLES

for the first time in three years, the cumbers are good and abundant. i started the plants in the back garden from seed in May and direct sowed the crop growing up the fence the last week in May. the first picking was shared with the extended family. the second time there were plenty to do a batch of open crock dill pickles. they turned out great

INGREDIENTS FOR OPEN CROCK DILL PICKLES

20-30 dill size cucumbers,washed

3/4 cup kosher salt

1 gallon or so water (it has to cover the cucs)

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 heaping tablespoon pickling spice

4 cloves of garlic, smashed

4-6 green seeded heads of dill plus most of one plant(thats the weed part)

NEXT

bring the water to a boil, throw in the salt and dissolve it, add vinegar

alternate placing the cucumbers and dill in a crock, gallon jug or whatever you have that will work

toss in the pickling spice and the garlic and pour the hot brine over the whole deal

take a zip lock plastic gallon bag and fill it with water. seal it and place over cucumbers ao that all ingredients are submerged (much better than the plate and a rock from my younger days)

keep crock in a cool place (i have had better luck since we got central air)

after 3 or 4 days check for scum and skim it off daily, as needed. these took 8 days to become a really good dill pickle

the crock was a gift from a friend many years ago. it was hand crafted by the wettlaufers

after the 8 days or when the pickles are cured enough, put them into whatever containers you wish. i use old plastic jars that i have saved. dilute the brine by a third and cover and refrigerate.

RANDOM THOUGHTS AND PICTURES

the front border...an old triple daylily and volunteer black eyed susans

close up of tomatoes. i think this is the heirloom 'cherokee'. i started the tomatoes from seed in April. in our growing zone,i put them in the ground June 1st. It gives the soil time to warm up and keep their little feet warm.

The pink, white and lavender cleome are all volunteers. I first saw them at the Philadelphia Flower Show about 25 years ago. i came home and ordered the seed and have not bought any since then

red

a closer shot of the red runner beans on top and the corner of the fence with geraniums, a black cherry tomato in a pot (in case the deer get the rest) a fading clematis and a morning glory vine, miniature white roses and million bells/

the back yard

here is a glimpse of the back yard from the deck
the gardens are neither formal or fancy. the pool is ancient by standards but all of our grandchildren learned to swim there.
beyond is a square foot garden. down a slope is the asparagus bed and beyond that a ghost of a former larger garden . the larger garden once supplied us with most of our vegetables when the kids were home. i grew, picked, canned and froze almost everything. now it hold a dozen staked tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers and corn

the back walk where the hydrangeas are glorious this year

40year old asparagus bed that treated us to the earliest we have ever had.

a glimpse of the red runner beans climbing up the fence behind a black cherry heirloom tomato. i can not wait for them to ripen! just above, more green tomatoes...cherokee, glacier, and black krim. the vines are laden with 10 to 15 large tomatoes

the lower garden where the zucchini is almost as tall as the corn.

welcome to my blog

i am just starting this blog to record some of the knowledge that i have acquired over the years. i have had vegetable and flower gardens for 45 years. for 20 years i had a business called 'the pampered plant".

i also love to cook. i am a creative cook and rarely record my adventures in cooking. another reason for starting this...at least to record the successes

when my children were at home i grew, picked canned or froze most of their vegetables...so, here goes my blogging adventure

today i had a visit with 'madame fromage' and she showed me how to start a blog. we enjoyed a sampling of my club sauce, last years bread and butter pickles and a taste from the open crock of dill pickles that is sitting on the counter. the tasting included cheese and a nice bottle of prosecco.