Homemade Pickles and Chow-chow

Summer is almost over and our vegetables are coming in faster than we can eat or give them away .If you haven’t already canned your entire surplus, now is your last chance. Many of us have lost the ability or the motivation to put up food for the winter, maybe now is the time to charge up our batteries. For those of us who don’t have gardens, vegetables market prices are at their best right now, and home canned food tastes so much better than any we can buy. I would like to share with you information on how to put up your own home grown or bought vegetables. You might be surprised at how easy it is and how much enjoyment you will get from seeing the work of your own hands lined up on the shelves of your pantry. You can buy a boiling water canning kit at most stores. (Wal-Mart)

1. Get out your canner or large boiler, your jars and lids

2. Wash them all well in soapy water and rinse.
3. Place small towel in bottom of boiler or canner, put in all your jars and fill with water. Boil for 20 minutes
4. Take out jars and line them up near stove.
5. Fill small pan with water for lids and let simmer a few minutes but do not boil.
6. Look through your vegetables and take out any that are tough, bruised or spotted.
7. Wash well in plain water.
8. Follow recipe to prepare. Your canner kit will have recipes for most vegetables.

Old Fashioned Bread-and-Butter Pickles

• 1 1/2 gallon water
• 2 cups pickling salt
• 12 mid sized cucumbers trimmed and thinly sliced. (About 3 1/2 lb.)
• 5 cups distilled white vinegar
• 5 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tlb.turmeric
• 2 tlb.yellow mustard seed
• 1 tlb.celery seed
• 5 medium onions thinly sliced

Method

1. In a large non reactive cooler, combine the water and salt.
2. Stir to dissolve.
3. Add sliced cucumbers and set aside in a cool place for 24 hours.
4. Drain in a colander and rinse well under cold running water.
5. In large non reactive pot, combine vinegar and sugar over medium heat.
6. Stir to dissolve.
7. Add turmeric, celery seed, mustard seed, onions and well drained cucumbers.
8. Stir to combine.
9. Increase heat and bring to slow boil.
10. Boil for 20 minutes.
11. Remove from heat.
12. Ladle into clean jars, divide the liquid among jars equally.
13. Clean the rim of jars with clean damp towel and tightly secure the lids.
14. Keep at room temperature until opened then refrigerate.

Chow-Chow

Ingredients

• 6 medium or large green tomatoes
• 2 small to medium heads of cabbage
• 1 cup pickling salt
• 3 green bell peppers
• 3 red bell peppers
• 3 medium onions
• 1 1/2 qts. distilled vinegar
• 4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tlb.celery seed
• 1 tlb. mustard seed
• 1 tlb.whole cloves

Method

1. Pick over all your ingredients.
2. Clean, core and chop up to small pieces.
3. Put tomatoes in large bowl.
4. Add salt and stir to combine.
5. Transfer tomato mixture to large clean pillow case or several layers of cheese cloth.
6. Hang to drain over night, squeezing to remove extra moisture.
7. Put the cabbage, peppers and onions in large bowl and add tomato mixture.
8. Stir to combine and sit aside.
9. In large non reactive pot combine vinegar and sugar.
10. Stir and add spices.
11. Add tomatoes and cabbage, bring to boil over high heat and boil about 20 minutes.
12. Ladle into clean jars.
13. Wipe jar tops with clean, damp towel and cap tightly.
14. Keep at room temperature until opened then refrigerate.