1056 replies to this topic

[Liza]

I was recently gifted a parcel of tree-ripened peaches. Decided to attempt a pickle from Chris Schlesinger's "Quick Pickles" book and thence boiled one cup balsamic vinegar, one cup pineapple juice and 3/4 c vermouth. At the boil, added sliced peaches and turned off the heat. Now they're swimming in the altogether in the refrigerator for a few days.

Expecting gifted leeks, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and more. Seeking pickle or preserving recipes that are simple and / or can be accomplished during a one hour nap time.

[Liza]

Three days later and the peaches are quite dark and silky.

[Lippy]

I'm in the middle of doing Slapsie's lime pickle.

[Liza]

OOh. That sounds tremendous.
Just tasted the peaches - FANtastic. I look forward to serving them with goat cheese. And I'm thinking they'd be a fabulous gelato.

[dennison]

Possibly not simple, depending on how you define it, but it's well worth the effort. Tonight I made four quarts of peach chutney following Sally Fallon’s fruit chutney recipe in Nourishing Traditions in less than an hour. It helped that I've made it before and have all the ingredients on hand.

This is incredibly good chutney that matches very well with roasts because of its savory undertones. Its a traditional lactofermentation, an artisinal process that relies on formation of lactic acid to preserve the fruit instead of vinegar. It’s done the way we used to do things back when people were principally producers rather than consumers. Many feel that vinegar was introduced into the pickling process as a result of industrialization and that it isn’t particularly nutritious compared to naturally fermented foods. I’ve made a number of lacto-fermented pickles and chutneys using whey and salt and they offer a totally different experience than the vinegar pickles that most people today think are the norm. They are to vinegar pickles what true sourdoughs are to yeast breads. Regardless of whether one agrees with the potential health benefits of eating foods rich in active cultures, all who have tried this chutney have absolutely loved it.

Mix together ½ cup filtered water, zest from 2 lemons, juice from 2 lemons, 1/8 cup Rapadura (dehydrated cane sugar juice), 2 tsp sea salt and ¼ cup whey (made by pouring a container of yogurt into a tied up old t-shirt and hanging it overnight – the liquid that drips out is the whey, the rest is yogurt cheese). Chunk up 3 big peaches (total 3 cups) into this mixture, then stir in ½ cup pecans (preferably soaked overnight in salted water then dried under low heat to maximize digestibility), ½ cup dried cranberries (Fallon specifies raisins, but I prefer the tart cranberries to counter the sweetness of peaches), and the following spices: 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp red pepper flakes, ½ tsp crushed peppercorns, ½ tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp fennel seeds and 1 tsp coriander seeds. Stir well, then put all of this into one widemouth quart mason jar, making sure the liquid covers the fruit, but make sure to leave an inch to the top of the jar. Screw on the band tightly and let sit at room temperature for 2 days before transferring to cold storage. You’ll see it get bubbly as the lactobacilli work to produce lactic acid. Eat within two months.

[Liza]

Would you be willing to bring a sample to the market? Davy would like to try that. :)

[dennison]

Yeah, no worries, I'll bring y'all a small jar of it. He survived both the homebrew honeywine and the sourdough raisin pumpernickle, so he's now a designated taster of my wild ferments.

[StephY]

Opening up a new thread for all things canning-related. Pickles, sauces, stews, chutneys, jams & jellies . . . Anything & everything.

I don't have my recipes handy, as I'm at work, but I make an annual batch of bread&butter pickles (recipe can't be shared, sorry), crushed heirloom tomatoes, some kind of chutney, and some kind of butter (apple butter, last year).

What are your favorite things to jar? Any recipes you're willing to share? Any problems you encounter, trying to jar in a small NYC kitchen?

[flyfish]

Hi folks,

I'm a newbie here, live in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada) and have been canning since I was a prattling child at my mother's knee. Mom passed away in November 2002, but I can always remember her when I taste one of the relishes she used to make. (Take that, Proust!)

I did make preserves in a tiny Toronto bachelor apartment kitchen years ago (with one of the world's smallest stovetops) and recall that one of the keys to success was a cooling station set up on a folding table just outside the kitchen door.

Here is my most requested recipe; unfortunately it's not the season for green tomatoes but you can file it away! The name's origins are lost in the mists of time. The recipe supposedly came from a congregation of nuns (Notre Dame in Montreal), where it was found by the Sifto Salt people who printed it along with others in a little brochure called "Pickles to Tickle the Palate." My mom got the brochure at a grocery store in the late 60s/early 70s, so I've been enjoying this "green tomato ketchup" for over 30 years now. Around my house it is simply known as GTR.

Green Tomatoes Rovia

You will need 12 pint (or 500 ML) mason jars and two-part rings/lids (USE NEW LIDS ONLY) to can this recipe. The recipe can be halved.

30 green tomatoes (the size of small apples),
sliced (with skins on but cut off flower ends and any nasty bits)
6 onions, peeled and sliced or chopped
1/2 cup pickling (coarse, non-iodized) salt

Slice tomatoes and onions (a food processor is great for this) and layer in a non-reactive large pot with salt. Let stand overnight. In the morning, drain well. Add:

16 apples (hard and sour), peeled and sliced
4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup pickling spices, tied up in a cheesecloth bag (leave a long string on for taking out later!)
White Vinegar (must be at least 5% acidic)

Add vinegar until three-quarters (3/4) of ingredients are covered (DO NOT COVER COMPLETELY). Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer; simmer 1 to 1 1/2 hours until apples are transparent and everything is well cooked and fragrant.

To can: While mixture is cooking, sterilize clean pint-sized (c. 500 mL) mason jars by putting them in a cold oven and putting the temperature to 225 degrees F. They should be at 225 for at least 15 minutes. Put on a pot of water to boil; lids and rings should be soaked in boiling water for at least five minutes to soften sealing compound on lids and sterilize them. Fill a boiling water bath canner (the kind with a rack) and have water simmering and ready.

When the GTR is ready, use a ladle to fill jars to 1/4 inch of tops; wipe rims clean and seal. Rings should be fingertip tight. Place immediately in canner rack. When canner is full, submerge jars and bring back to a boil. Process for 10 minutes. Place on cloth and let cool. You should hear the lids pop. Leave undisturbed at least 24 hours.

Any extra that will not fill a jar can be kept in the fridge and used immediately, but it is better when aged a few weeks.

[Lippy]

I don't have my recipes handy, as I'm at work, but I make an annual batch of bread&butter pickles (recipe can't be shared, sorry)

Wait -- have I got this right? You want our recipes, but you don't want to share yours?

[StephY]

I'll share other recipes, but I will be disowned if I share my mom's b&b pickles recipe.

I'm a giver, as much as a taker.

[omnivorette]

A) So why bring it up?

B) She'll only know if you tell her.

[StephY]

I hate the semantics of online posting. Something always gets lost in translation.

The post was meant to get some discussion going about canning, in general. I guess I mentioned my mom's b&b pickles because I believe that canning pickles is one of the truest tests of a canner. No pickles? You're just dabbling in canning.

Hope that clears up that little issue.

And don't you know that moms know *everything*? They *always* find out! (Yes, there is still some residual juvenile paranoia lurking in my head.)

[Leslie]

I make pickled asparagus (in jars). It's the only thing I know how to can . I would like to try some other things. I'll dig out my recipe and post it later on and hope to see some more recipes, too.

[flyfish]

I guess I mentioned my mom's b&b pickles because I believe that canning pickles is one of the truest tests of a canner.  No pickles?  You're just dabbling in canning.

A beginner on Food.Muvment was asking about dill pickles just before the site closed down, and I had basically told her the same thing. I'm made various types of pickles with success, but have never been happy with any dills I've made. I've tried 3-day, 7-day, 9-day and whip-em-straight-into-the-jar and, while they have all had some merit, none have had the touch of greatness. I consider good dills to be the Holy Grail of pickle making...

Flyfish