Pickle Recipes - Sweet Lemons

3 small lemons (cleaned)
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 1/2 tablesppons pickling salt
6 tablesppons lemon juice
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 small dried chile peppers (optional)

Cut the lemons lengthwise into eights, leaving 1/4 inch intact at the stem end. Grind the spices in a coffee grinder or blender. Mix the spices with the salt and stuff the lemons with this mixture.

Put the lemons into a jar. Cover them with the lemon juice and cap the jar with a non-reactive lid. Let the jar stand for 1 week in a sunny window.

Pour the juices from the jar into a non-reactive pan. Add the sugar to the pan. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the lemons and boil gently for 10 minutes or until they are tender. Pack the lemons into a sterile pint jar and cover with a non-reactive lid.

Let the jar stand at room temperature for a month. Refrigerate and serve.

Pickle Recipes - Crab Apples

Before you pickle anything, make sure it tastes good.

1 cinnamon stick, broken
1 teaspoon allspice berries
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups water
1 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 pounds crab apples

Pute the spices into a spice bag or tie them in a scrap of cheesecloth. Put them in a non-reactive pot with the vinegar, sugar and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then remove it from the heat and cool.

Pierce each apple through with a large needle or skewer to keep it from bursting. Put the apples into the syrup and bring it slowly to a simmer. Simmer the apples for about 15 minutes, until they are tender and translucent. Remove the spice bag.

Pack the apples into sterile jars leaving 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch headspace. Bring the remaining syrup to a boil and pour it over the apples (leaving the 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace). Seal the jars with hot two-piece caps.