5. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, center the lids, and screw on the bands and adjust until they are fingertip tight.
6. Place the jars in the canner and bring to a boil. Make sure there is at least 1 inch of water covering the jars.
7. Process for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove the jars from the canner and cool.
Spicy Pickled Okra
• 2 pounds fresh, young okra (small pods are best)
• 1 quart white vinegar
• 6 tablespoons pickling salt
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped
• 16 fresh hot peppers
• ¼ cup whole mustard seed
• ¼ cup whole dill seed
• 5 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. Prepare lids and bands by simmering them over low heat in a small saucepan.
2. Wash the okra and trim the stems, leaving the caps. Soak in a bowl of ice water for 1 hour and then pat dry.
3. In a large nonmetallic pot, combine the vinegar, salt, garlic, hot peppers, mustard seed, and dill seed. Bring contents to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Pack the okra evenly into the jars. Fill with hot pickling liquid, leaving ½ inch of headspace.
5. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, center the lids, and screw on the bands and adjust until they are fingertip tight.
6. Place the jars in the canner and bring to a boil. Make sure there is at least 1 inch of water covering the jars.
7. Process for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove the jars from the canner and cool.
8. The jars need to mature for about 4 weeks before they’re ready to use.
Simple Bread-and-Butter Pickles
• 4 pounds cucumbers, sliced
• 8 small onions, sliced
• ½ cup pickling salt
• 5 cups granulated sugar
• 4 cups white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons mustard seed
• 2 teaspoons celery seed
• 1½ teaspoons ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 7 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. Prepare lids and bands by simmering them over low heat in a small saucepan.
2. In a large container with a lid, combine the cucumbers, onions, and salt. Cover with crushed ice and mix well. Let stand for 3 hours. Drain, rinse, and drain again.
3. In a heavy saucepan with a lid, combine the sugar, vinegar, and seasonings. Bring to a boil.
4. Once boiling, add the cucumber mixture, and then return to a boil. When the mixture has boiled for 1 minute, remove the pot from the heat.
5. Carefully ladle the mixture into jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace.
6. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, center the lids, and screw on the bands and adjust until they are fingertip tight.
7. Place the jars in the canner and bring to a boil. Make sure there is at least 1 inch of water covering the jars.
8. Process for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove the jars from the canner and cool.
Pickled Peaches
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
• 14 firm, slightly underripe peaches, peeled and sliced
• 2 teaspoons ground cloves
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. Prepare lids and bands by simmering them over low heat in a small saucepan.
2. Bring the vinegar, sugar, and cinnamon sticks to a boil in a saucepan.
3. Pack the peaches into the jars. The cinnamon sticks may be added to the jars for extra flavor or removed and discarded if desired. Add the syrup, leaving ½ inch of headspace.
4. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, center the lids, and screw on the bands and adjust until they are fingertip tight.
5. Place the jars in the canner and bring to a boil. Make sure there is at least 1 inch of water covering the jars.
6. Process for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove the jars from the canner and cool.
9
SALSAS AND RELISHES
Making your own salsas and relishes is both simple and fun. It’s easy to exercise your creativity and customize flavors to your family’s liking once you get the hang of making your own.
When making your own tomato recipes, be sure to use produce that is at its peak of ripeness. Processing will not improve the flavor of underripe tomatoes. With fruit salsas such as mango or peach, you can use fruit that is just slightly underripe, as you want the fruit to hold its shape somewhat, and you don’t want the salsa to be too sweet.
Chunky Cranberry Sauce
• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 4 cups water
• 8 cups fresh cranberries
• 3 tablespoons fresh orange zest
• 4 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. Prepare lids and bands by simmering them over low heat in a small saucepan.
2. In a stockpot, combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Keep at a rolling boil for about 5 minutes, and then add the cranberries. Bring the mixture back to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer for about 15 minutes, until the cranberries start to burst and the liquid begins to thicken and “sheets” off the spoon. Add the orange zest.
3. Remove from the heat and ladle carefully into the jars, leaving ½ of headspace.
4. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, center the lids, and screw on the bands and adjust until they are fingertip tight.
5. Place the jars in the canner and bring to a boil. Make sure there is at least 1 inch of water covering the jars.
6. Process for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove the jars from the canner and cool.
Green Chow-Chow
• 12 green tomatoes, cored and quartered
• 3 medium green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 3 medium red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 3 medium yellow bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 3 medium onions, peeled and quartered
• 1 cup fresh jalapeños, stemmed and chopped
• 8 cups water
• ¾ cup pickling salt
• 2½ cups white vinegar
• 6 half-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. Prepare lids and bands by simmering them over low heat in a small saucepan.
2. In a food processor, pulse the tomatoes about 10 times. Pour the tomatoes into a nonreactive stockpot.
3. Add the bell peppers, onions, and jalapeños to the processor, and pulse about 10 times as well. Add the mixture to the tomatoes.