Recipe Notes- July 13th

Zucchini Pickles

From Mrs. Chard's Almanac Cookbook- Hollyhocks & Radishes

Makes 8 pints of pickles (give or take)

I have an 8 quart hard plastic restaurant grade tub with a red lid that I use for the pickles. And I slice with a Progressive Mandolin slicer- 1/4 inch thick slices. I use the knob guard to keep my fingers (and blood) out of the pickles. I cut the vegetables directly into the 8 quart food grade tub.

8 medium zucchini (I use a mix of green and yellow because it's pretty)

6 onions  ( I use two large ones)

1 green pepper and one red pepper, sliced  ( I use two red ones- again for the color)

2 cloves of thinly sliced garlic

You can do what you want here and use more onions or use more squash (what I do)

I jalapeno pepper.  (today the pepper I had purchased was super hot- sometimes it isn't)

1/3 cup coarse kosher salt  (do NOT use iodized table salt- your pickles will NOT be crisp)

Slice and mix things around so everything gets salted.  Top off your container with ice cubes 

I snap on the lid and put the container into the vestibule refrigerator where we store soda. (or Pop)

The instructions in recipe says to let stand 3 hours and then proceed.  I don't.  I think a longer soak in the salt creates a crisp pickle so ---sometimes the tub sits for a full day and more often two days in the fridge.  I give it a shake to distribute things (if I remember) a couple of times.

When you are ready to make pickles-- in my case, have the kitchen cleaned up, the canning kettle on the stove, the jars washed and ready and enough lids........... (a problem this COVID season......)

Mix in a large pot on stove: 3 cups white vinegar, 5 cups sugar, 2 Tablespoons mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon celery seed.  Heat to dissolve sugar.  This is your pickling liquid.

Drain, rinse, drain rinse the vegetables. Do it at least twice. The rinse is to remove salt.  Then a really good drain to remove water. I dump everything in a large colander and rinse and toss and rinse and toss and then I taste.  If still way TOO salty- I rinse more.  But the vegetables WILL be salty.

Add drained vegetables to the pot with the vinegar, sugar and spices.  Bring to a rolling boil.

Continue to boil while filling 8  HOT, CLEAN pint jars with the very hot vegetables and the boiling liquid pickling mixture. Wipe jar rims with paper towel dipped in the boiling water. (from the canner kettle)  Add lids and bands to the jars.  Process in boiling canner for 8 minutes.   Remove jars from canner and let sit on towel on counter until you hear the lids POP and know you have a good seal.   I usually removed bands and wash the jars of pickles (they can still be sticky) and let cool completely.  I write the date on the lid with a Sharpie.   Store in a dark cool cupboard.

 NOTES---I have the clean empty jars in the canner as the water heats up (while I am draining and rinsing the vegetables) and I let the empty jars boil for awhile to make sure everyone is well sterilized.  I remove the hot jars- carefully tipping to remove boiling water from inside the jars--  (while the vegetables have come to a rolling boil in the pickling sauce) and set open side down on fresh very clean towel-- then I fill the jars, wipe the rims, add the hot lids (soaked in boiling water)-- screw on the bands and then the jars go back into the canner - return to boil --and I time it for 8 minutes and then remove jars.Allow to cool completely- listen for the click as the lids seal-- wash off any sticky residue and store in a dark cupboard away from heat. Jars that do not click- need to be boiled again or refrigerated and eaten - they are not for long storage.