Anybody make pickles?
These are refrigerator pickles, not the fermented variety, but they are still really tasty. I like to add enough cayenne pepper to give them a good kick.
Every year. Cucumber (sweet & dill), squash, Okra, & chow chow.
I’m growing cucumbers right now.
Still too cool to grow them, but I pickle okra with some dill, garlic and jalapeños. I also do it in the fridge, rather than a full canning process. Okra tends to get mushing if canned with much heat.
I am getting ready to plant a whole slew of cukes next weekend. Pickles are one of my specialties. I like barrel curing them but I also have an old Polish pickle recipe handed down to me by my polish granmother. Suffice it to say that I’m a pickle fanatic. 
How about a quick rundown on the process and a few simple recipes for those of us that would like to try making pickles? I’d like to try it but I’ve never seen how its done and never looked it up online before… I don’t want to start another hobby but making a small batch of pickles sounds good… maybe a 5 gallon bucket size batch? :-\
I’ve never made fermented pickles, but I’ve done them in brine and I’ve made refrigerator pickles a few times. Great stuff
No recipes handy though, they’re in the other room and I’m feeling lazy.
Pickled Jalapenos~ yummo.
Put on nitrile gloves before processing.
Remove seeds from peppers
I usually mix some Mild Bell slices into the jars as well.
Pack loosely in Wide mouth canning Jars
Make a vinegar/water/sugar/salt brine add some
whole clove…peppercorns to each jar
Heat your brine mixture and pour into each
Canning Jar to the shoulder (1/2 inch headspace)
completely cover your prepared peppers with liquid.
Affix the canning jar lids and rings load into your
pressure canner and process per USDA directions for
your altitude.
enjoy
Funny Story about canning Jalapenos follows…
1st time I ever did this, I did NOT wear gloves but I did wear
contact lenses. I got finished prepping the peppas…and my hands
LIT up on fire…then my contacts needed to be removed for bedtime.
right, like I was gonna put those pepper laden burning fingers into
my eyeballs….Ha Ha Ha.
I decided to take a trip to the ER and beg for a pair of latex gloves.
Well they gave me a pair and I put them on and removed my contacts
Then my hands decided to be sensitive to the latex and they broke out
in a fun little burning itchy rash…irritated by the pepper juice…
Please learn from my mistakes and wear PPE to do this task!
I make a lot of pickled items including cucumbers, beans, carrots, okra, etc.
I would encourage you to try adding a tablespoon of smoked sweet paprika to a mason jar of whatever. Fantastic. I’ve done it with cukes, beans, and okra, and it is great. I also add cayenne, so it’s a nice spicy/smokey crunch.
If I can remember I’ll crack open the Ball guide to Canning tonight and post a few recipes.
Your local County Extension office will have all the necessary information on hand and they may even
check your pressure canning equipment for free…it is a food safety thing for sure…take no short cuts.
Also the USDA will have charts for time and temperature specific guidelines FOR YOUR ELEVATION!
The refrigerator kind are really easy, and don’t require any pressure canning equipment.
For a 22 oz. jar (I use old pasta sauce jars - also handy for a variety of brewing tasks), bring the following to a boil: 1 cup water, 1 cup vinegar (I like to use a mixture of tarragon and apple cider vinegar), 1.5 teaspoons of salt, some sugar (up to a half cup depending on the level of sweetness you want), and whatever herbs or spices you want to add (I like cayenne pepper - though that smoked sweet paprika sounds awesome).
While that’s coming up to a boil, slice up a cucumber, some onion, and some garlic (or whatever you want to pickle), and add it to the jar. Then top off the jar with the boiling liquid, let it sit at room temperature until it cools down, and stick it in the fridge. They’re ready to eat in just a few days.
My wife will pickle almost anything she can. I guess it’s the Russian heritage.
My personal favorite is pickled garlic.
A friend makes these awesome “Russian pickled tomatoes” from cherry tomatoes. Anyone have a good recipe?
Try stuffing serrano and/or jalapeño peppers and carrots in with those quick-pickles. I like a sweeter hotter brine.
"The classic Polish dill pickle, whose preparation goes back well over 1,000 years, is naturally cured and is a healthier alternative than any of the pickles pickled with vinegar. They are also easy to prepare.
Wash and drain roughly 4 lb of 4-inch, green pickling cucumbers. Cukes larger than 6 inches are not used. If you have cucumbers of varying size, put the large ones at bottom of the jar, since they take longer tocure. The best cucumbers to brine-cure are those picked the same day. If yours are not, soak them in ice cold water 2-3 hrs. Wash, dry, scald with boiling water, and dry again large glass jar or crock big enough to accommodate the pickles. At bottom of container, place 3 stalks mature pickling dill (heads or seed clusters as well as stems). Stand cucumbers in container upright. Add 3-5 cloves garlic, several small pieces of horseradish root, and several fruit leaves (cherry,black-currant or grape are best!). I also like to add a hot pepper, chopped green bell pepper and a stalk of celary. A regular pickling spice blend is optional.
Bring to boil 6 c. water and 3 T. pickling salt. When cooled slightly, pour warm solution over cucumbers. Cover with inverted plate and weight down so cucumbers are submerged. Cover with cheesecloth and
that’s all there is to it.
They should be fully cured in 7-10 days. You may leave them on counter until all are used up or transfer to fridge.
Optional: Other flavorings may include: 1 horseradish leaf, 1-2 green
oak leaves (this gives pickles a barrel-like taste), 1 bay leaf, a
pinch of mustard seeds or unground coriander, a small piece of chili
pepper, a slice of celeriac or parsley root. Do not use all these
flavorings in a single batch of pickles, but experiment on successive
batches to see which combination suits you best.
Here’s one (translated):
2.5-3kg Tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
2 bunches dill
5 blackcurrant leaves
10 oak and/or cherry leaves
1 large horseradish leaf
Fresh herbs to taste
10 black peppercorns
3-5 coriander grains
2 1/2 tblsp sugar
1 1/2 tblsp salt
Lemon juice
Fits in one 3 litre jar.
Process in water bath. Allow to age for 6 weeks.
I think I want to try that - are they red tomatoes, or green ones?
What does “fresh herbs to taste” mean, anything specific? Any recommendations?
The recipe was for red tomatoes.
“Fresh herbs to taste” basically means what’s around that you like. Given that “herbs” on the market in Moscow are generally Cilantro, Dill, Basil (although it’s purple and slightly different), parsley, and chives, I’d suggest working with those.
All this is making me happy I’m going to Moscow next week.
Awesome. I’m going to have to remember this in a few months when the tomatoes are in. Thanks.
Thanks. I already got a bunch growing so hopefully I can make this fresh off the vine soon.