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 - Quick Peppers

2 pounds bell peppers cut into strips
1 celery stalk, chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 bay leaf

Brine:
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons pickling salt

Dissolve the salt into the water and vinegar to make the brine.

Put everything else into a 2 quart jar. Pour the brine over the vegetables. Refrigerate the jar. It will be ready to eat in 1 week.

Pickle Recipes - Pickled Broccoli

1 1/2 pounds of broccoli florets
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon coarsely grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon dill seeds
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
2 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon pickling salt

Toss the broccoli with teh garlic, ginger, dill, mustard and oil. Pack the mixture into a jar or jars.

Dissolve the salt into the vinegar and water. Pour the brine over the broccoli. Cap the jar with a non-reactive lid.

Put the jar into the refrigerator. It will be ready in 1 week.

Pickle Recipes - Cauliflower and Cabbage

3/4 pound red cabbage
1 small caulifloewr - broken and/or cut into florets
1 small dried chile pepper (or more if you like it spicy)
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 large garlic clove, sliced
1 bay leaf
2 1/4 cups white wine vinegar
2 1/4 cups water
3 tablespoons pickling salt

Cut the cabbage into 1 inch squares. Pute the cabbage, cauliflower, chile pepper, caraway seeds, garlic and bay leaf into a two quart jar (or jar of approximately that size).

Dissolve the salt into the vinegar and water. Power the brine over the vegetables. Cap the jar with a non-reactive cap and let it stand at room temperature.

After 10 days put the jar into the refrigerator. Eat it when refrigerated.

Pickle Recipes - Pickle Beets

7 pounds of beets w/o tops
2 cinnamon sticks, broken
1 tablespoon allspice berries
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons pickling salt
4 cups cider vinegar
2 cups water

To peel the beets put them into boiling water and boil them for 20 to 30 minutes until they are just tender. Then drain the beets and cover them with cold water. The skins will slip off easily.

If the beets are large you can cut them into rounds. Or you can pickle them whole.

Tie the spices in a spice bag. Cobmine all the other ingredients into a non-reactive pot, add the spice bag and bring it to a boil. Simmer it for 10 minutes.

Pack the beets into jars. Pour the hot liquid over the beets, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Close the jars with hot two-piece caps. Boiling-water bath the jars for 30 minutes. They will be ready to eat in 3 weeks.

Pickle Recipes - Green Beans

6 Cloves of Garlic
36 peppercorns
3 pounds young snap beans, trimmed to about 4 inches.
6 tarragon sprigs or 12 basil sprigs
3 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
3 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons pickling salt

Sterilize 6 mason pint jars. Put 1 garlic clove, 6 peppercorns and either 1 tarragon sprig or 2 basil sprigs into each jar. Pack the jars vertically with the peans.

In a non-reactive pan boil the vinegar water and salt. Pour the brine over the beans, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Close the jars with hot two piece caps.

Process the jars for 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Store the jars somewhere cool and dark for 1 month before eating.

Pickle Recipes - Pickled Garlic

1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 small dried chile pepper (optional)
1 small thyme sprig
1 small rosemary sprig
1 small bay leaf
1 teaspoon peppercorns
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon pickling salt
1 cup pealed fresh garlic cloves

Put everything EXCEPT the garlic into a non-reactive pan. Bring it to a boil and boil it for 5 minutes. Add the garlic. Bring it to a boil and then remove it from the heat and let it stand for 24 hours. Bring it to a boil again and then pour the contents into a 1/2 pint jar. Cover it with a nonreactive cap.

Put it in the refrigerator.

The garlic will be ready in 1 week.

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.

Pickle Recipes - Brined Lemons

Thin-skinned whole lemons.
1 tablespoon of salt for every cup of water

Wash the lemons.
Put the lemons into a jar or crock and cover them with brine.
Weight the lemons with a freezer bag filled with brine.
Store the lemons in a cool place for 20 days.
Enjoy!

Pickle Recipes - Giardiniera

Giardiniera is a pickle that uses any of a variety of vegetables. Essentally you can use whatever you have at hand. Some suggestions include celery, carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower, peppers or asparagus.

3 quarts of prepared vegetables (whatever you have, chopped into bite-sized pieces)
6 bay leaves
12 garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons peppercorns
6 oregano sprigs
4 teaspoons pickling salt
2 3/4 cups white wine vinegar
2 1/2 cups water
6 tablespoons olive oil

Put 1 bay leaf, 2 garlic cloves and 1/4 teaspoon peppercorns into 6 pint jars.
Pack the vegetables into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
Add an oregano sprig to each jar.
In a non-reactive pan boil the vinegar, water salt. Dissolve the salt.
Pour the liquid over the vegetables, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
Top each jar with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Close the jars with hot two-piece lids and boiling-water bath them for 20 minutes.
Store them in a cool, dark place for 3 weeks before eating.

Marinated Mushrooms

12 dried shitake mushrooms
1/2 cup olive oil
1 pound small button mushrooms (cleaned)
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
2 shallots, minced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teasp0on dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
4 teaspoons chopped parsley
1 bay leaf, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon pickling salt

Put the shitake mushrooms into a blow and pour boiling water over them. Let them soak for 5 minutes and then drain them.
In a skillet heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Saute the mushrooms over medium low heat until they are tender, about 15 minutes. Set them aside in a bowl.
In a non-reactive pan, simmer the garlic, shallots and vinegar. Add the herbs, bay, salt and remaining olive oil.
Pour the liquid over the mushrooms.
Pack the mushrooms and their liquid into a jar (or jars).
Store the mushrooms in the refrigerator for a week before eating.

Pickle Recipes - Snap Beans

2 Pounds Trimmed Snap Beans
6 small dried chile peppers
6 garlic cloves, corsely chopped
12 crushed black peppercorns
6 dill heads
1/2 cup pickling salt
3 quarts water

Layer the beans, peppers, garlic, peppercorns and dill in a 1 gallon jar.
Dissolve the salt into the water.
Power enough brine over the beans to cover them.
Put a freezer bag into the mouth of the jar and fill the bag with brine and seal the bag.
Within 3 days you should see tiny bubbles forming in the jar. Skim off any skum that forms and rinse the bag daily.
The pickles will be ready in about 2 weeks when the bubbles have stopped and the beans are sour.
Remove the brine bag, skim off any skum and cap the jar. Store the jar in the fridge.