Pickle Recipes and Relish Recipes Plus Simple Instructions on How to Pickle

Pickling Cucumbers

HOW TO MAKE PICKLES INTRODUCTION

Easy pickle recipes and relish recipes plus how to make pickles. Dill pickles, pickled cucumbers, beets, onions, beans, tomatoes - even watermelon!

Pickling consists of preserving fruits and vegetables in vinegar or brine. Each of these liquids acts as a preservative, so that the receptacles, or containers, for the food do not have to be sealed air-tight, nor does the preserved food require much care in order to have it keep perfectly.

The effect of the pickling liquids on both fruits and vegetables in your pickle recipes is very similar. The salt in the brine or the vinegar hardens the cellulose of the foods to such an extent that they are impervious to the action of bacteria. While this permits the foods to keep well, it also makes them difficult to digest, a fact that must be remembered when pickled foods are included in the diet.

HOW TO MAKE PICKLES WITH EASY PICKLING INSTRUCTIONS

How to pickle is easy and even the pickle recipes below are not difficult to make. In fact it is easier than following jam recipes or jelly recipes. After the fruit or vegetable is cleaned and prepared in the way desired, it is merely a matter of placing the food in sterilized jars or crocks, pouring the hot preserving liquid over it, allowing it to cool, and then storing it. In some cases the food is cooked, and in others it is not. As a rule, spices of some kind or other are added, both to aid in preserving and to impart flavor.

Practically all large fruits and many vegetables are pickled, as is shown in the pickle recipes that follow. Foods preserved by pickling are known as either pickles or relishes.

What's the difference between pickles and relishes?

While both products are similar in many respects, relishes are distinguished from pickles in that, as a rule, they are made up from more than one kind of fruit or vegetable and usually the pieces are cut or chopped and not put up whole. Often the foods in relishes are chopped or cut so fine as to make it almost impossible to tell what the fruit or vegetable was originally.

The food value of both these products is not extremely high, unless a great quantity of sugar is used in the pickling. This is sometimes the case with pickled peaches or pears, but seldom if ever with pickled vegetables.

PICKLE RECIPES

PICKLE RECIPES for DILL PICKLES

Perhaps the most common pickles are pickled cucumbers according to the accompanying recipe. Pickled cucumbers make great additions to salads. The cucumbers selected should be small, so that they will be solid all the way through. If you are growing cucumbers at home, then you will have a ready supply for pickling.

1 gal. water
4 c. coarse salt
200 small cucumbers
1/2 gal. vinegar
1-1/2 tsp. celery seed
1 lb. light-brown sugar
1/2 tsp. mustard seed
1 tsp. salt
1 oz. stick cinnamon
1 tsp. whole cloves

Make a brine of the water and the coarse salt, pour it over the cucumbers, and allow them to stand for 24 hours. At the end of this time, pour off the brine, wash the pickles in cold water, and place them into crocks. Heat the vinegar, add the celery seed, sugar, mustard seed, salt, cinnamon, and cloves, and bring the mixture to the boiling point. Pour this over the pickles in the crocks, cover closely while hot, and place in storage. If you prefer sweet cucumber pickles, add more brown sugar to the mixture.

PICKLE RECIPES USING SLICED-CUCUMBER

Large cucumbers cut into slices may be pickled in practically the same way as small cucumbers. At times, when small cucumbers are hard to get, large cucumbers will take their place very well. In fact, some prefer sliced cucumber pickles to the small ones.

PICKLE RECIPES for SLICED-CUCUMBER PICKLES

1 gal. sliced cucumbers
1 c. coarse salt
1-1/2 qt. vinegar
1 pt. water
1 tsp. pepper
3 tsp. mustard
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
4 onions, chopped
1 c. brown sugar
1 Tb. salt

Select rather large cucumbers. Wash and peel them and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Sprinkle well with salt, and mix the salt among the layers of cucumbers. Allow this to stand for 24 hours; then drain and wash in clear cold water. To the vinegar and water add the spices, onion, sugar, and salt. Heat this to the boiling point, pour over the sliced cucumbers, and pack them into jars or crocks. Seal while hot and store.

PICKLE RECIPES for PICKLED CUCUMBERS IN BRINE

Cucumbers may also be preserved in brine, stored, and pickled in vinegar later in any quantity, as desired.

Pour 1 gallon of boiling water over 4 cupfuls of coarse salt. This should make brine that is heavy enough to support an egg. Wash cucumbers of any desired size, put them into a sterilized crock, in layers, and pour the brine, which has been allowed to cool, over the cucumbers until they are entirely covered. Cover the top of the crock well and store. Cucumbers preserved in this way may be taken from the brine at any time and pickled. To do this, soak them in fresh water to remove the salty taste. The fresh water may have to be poured off and replaced several times. After they have been freshened sufficiently, pickle them in vinegar and season them in any desirable way.

PICKLE RECIPES for PICKLED BEANS

String beans that are pickled make a good relish to serve with meals. Unlike cucumbers that are pickled, the beans are cooked before the preserving liquid is added. The accompanying recipe is for either wax or green beans.

Pickled Bean Recipe

4 qt. beans
1-1/2 qt. vinegar
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves

Select large, firm, tender wax or green beans. Cover them with water to which has been added 1 level teaspoonful of salt to each quart and put them over the fire to cook. Boil the beans until they can be pierced with a fork, remove from the fire, drain, and pack into jars or crocks. To the vinegar add the sugar, salt, and spices. Bring this mixture to the boiling point, and pour it over the beans in the jars or crocks, filling them completely or covering the beans well. Close tight and store.

PICKLE RECIPES for PICKLED BEETS

Pickled beets meet with much favor as a relish. Like pickled beans, they must be cooked before they can be pickled; also, unless they are very small, they should be sliced before pickling as the recipe points out.

Pickled Beet Recipe

4 qt. red beets
2 qt. vinegar
2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. allspice

Cut the tops from the red beets, leaving 1 inch of the stems and the roots attached. Scrub well with a vegetable brush, and put to cook in boiling water. Cook until the beets are tender enough to be pierced with a fork. Pour off the hot water and run cold water over them. Remove the roots and stems, and cut into slices of any desired thickness or into dice, if preferred. Pack into jars or crocks. Then bring the vinegar to a boil, and to it add the sugar, salt, and spices. Pour this hot mixture over the beets. Seal the beets while hot, cool, and store.

PICKLE RECIPES for PICKLED CAULIFLOWER

Cauliflower is another vegetable that lends itself well to pickling. This food must be cooked, too, before pickling; and to have it just right for packing into the containers, it requires particular attention in cooking.

Pickled Cauliflower Recipe

4 qt. cauliflower broken into pieces
2 c. brown sugar
1 Tb. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 qt. vinegar
1 pt. water

Select firm heads of cauliflower and break them into sections or flowerets. Immerse these in cold water to which has been added 1 teaspoonful of salt to the quart. Allow the cauliflower to stand for 1 hour in the salt water. Remove from the water, and put over the fire to cook in salt water of the same proportion as that used for soaking. Cook until the cauliflower is quite tender, but not so tender as it would be cooked to serve at the table. If this is done, the cauliflower will darken and break into pieces. It should be firm enough not to crush or break easily when it is packed into the jars. When properly cooked, pack closely into jars, add the sugar, salt, and pepper to the vinegar and water, heat to the boiling point, and pour this liquid over the cauliflower, completely covering it. Seal while hot, allow to cool, and store.

PICKLE RECIPES for PICKLED ONIONS

Pickled onions are well liked by many. For pickling purposes, medium small onions of uniform size are most suitable. Owing to their nature, onions cannot be pickled so quickly as some of the vegetables mentioned, but, otherwise, the work is done in practically the same way.

Pickled Onions Recipe

4 qt. onions
2 qt. spiced vinegar

Select onions that are as nearly the same size as possible. Peel them and let them stand in fresh water for 24 hours. Pour off this water, and over the onions pour a brine made by adding 2 cupfuls of salt to each gallon of water. Allow them to stand in this brine for 3 days, changing the brine once during this time. Remove the onions from the brine, and freshen in cold water for 2 hours. Drain the onions and cook them in the spiced vinegar for 1/2 hour. Any of the spiced vinegars given for the other vegetables may be used. After cooking, pack the onions with the liquid into jars, seal, cool, and store.

PICKLE RECIPES for PICKLED PEACHES

Among the fruits that may be pickled, peaches seem to meet with great favor. They, as well as pickled pears and pickled crab apples, make a relish that adds variety to the foods that are served in the home from day to day. The pickling process does not differ materially from that applied to vegetables, as the accompanying recipe shows.

Pickled Peaches Recipe

2 lb. brown sugar
1 qt. vinegar
1 oz. stick cinnamon
4 qt. peaches
2 Tb. cloves

Boil the sugar, vinegar, and cinnamon together until they begin to look sirupy. Wash the peaches and rub off the fuzz. Stick one or two cloves into each peach, and drop the peaches into the sirup. Cook them until they may be easily pierced with a fork. Put them into jars, pour the sirup over them, filling each jar, and seal while hot. Allow the jars to cool and store. The peaches may be peeled if desired. It may also be more convenient to cook only part of the peaches in the sirup at one time, cooking the remainder after these have been taken out and put into jars.

PICKLE RECIPES FOR PICKLED PEARS

Pears also lend themselves readily to pickling. Specific directions are not given here, because they are pickled in exactly the same way as peaches. The pears may be peeled or not, as desired.

HOW TO MAKE PICKLES: PICKLED CRAB APPLES

Crab apples that are to be pickled should preferably be of a large variety. The directions given for pickling peaches apply also to this fruit. The crab apples should be examined carefully to make certain that they contain no worms. Also, the stems should be left on, and they should be washed thoroughly with the blossom ends cut out.

RELISH RECIPES - EASY AND DELICIOUS!

RELISH RECIPES for PICKLED GREEN TOMATOES

A pleasing relish may be made from green tomatoes after the frost has come in the fall and tomatoes on the vines will not mature.

RELISH RECIPES for GREEN-TOMATO PICKLE

3 qt. green tomatoes, sliced
2 qt. onions, sliced
1 qt. vinegar
1 pt. water
1 Tb. salt
1-1/2 lb. brown sugar
2 Tb. cinnamon
2 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. allspice
3 Tb. celery salt
1 Tb. mustard seed

Select firm green tomatoes, wash them, and slice them. Peel the onions, and slice them into slices of the same thickness as the tomatoes, about 1/4 inch being perhaps the most desirable. Mix the tomatoes and onions, sprinkle them generously with salt, and allow them to stand for 24 hours.

At the end of this time, pour off any excess liquid; then pour a small quantity of fresh water over them, and drain this off, also. To the vinegar and water, add the salt, sugar, and spices. Heat this mixture to the boiling point, pour it over the mixture of tomatoes and onions, and put into jars. Seal the jars while hot, allow them to cool, and then store.

RELISH RECIPES for PICKLED RIPE TOMATOES

Ripe tomatoes form the basis of another relish known as ripe-tomato pickle. Like other relishes in which tomatoes are used, this relish is very satisfactory for meals in which pickles or relishes may be served.

RELISH RECIPES for RIPE-TOMATO PICKLE

2 qt. ripe tomatoes
2 bunches celery
3 red sweet peppers
3 medium-sized onions
1 qt. vinegar
1 Tb. salt
1 c. sugar
1 Tb. mustard seed
1 Tb. ground cloves
1 Tb. ground cinnamon

Blanch the tomatoes until the skins loosen, and then peel them. Remove the stem ends, and cut the tomatoes into quite large pieces. Chop the celery, peppers, and onions coarsely. Cook together until they are almost tender. Pour off the water. Mix all the vegetables together, and pack them into a sterilized stone jar. To the vinegar, add the salt, sugar and spices. Boil and pour this mixture over the vegetables in the stone jar, cover, and allow this to stand at least 2 weeks before using.

RELISH RECIPES for PICKLED WATERMELON RIND

An unusual, though highly satisfactory, relish recipe may be made from the rind of melons. The accompanying recipe is for pickled watermelon rind, but if desired muskmelon rind may be substituted. In either case, only the white part of the rind should be used.

Pickled Watermelon Rind Recipe

4 qt. watermelon rind cut into strips or cubes
1 oz. stick cinnamon
1 Tb. cloves
1 c. water
3 lb. sugar
1 qt. vinegar

Prepare the rind by cutting off the green skin and all the pink flesh on the inside. Cut this rind into strips 1 inch wide and 1 inch thick, and then into cubes, if desired. Cook in water until the rind may be easily pierced with a fork. Add the spices, water, and sugar to the vinegar, and boil until it becomes sirupy. Add to this sirup the cooked watermelon rind and bring to the boiling point. Then pack into sterilized jars, seal, cool, and store.

Extra Resources on Making Pickles:

USDA Home Canning - Fermented Foods and Pickles

Go to Canning Recipes

Home Canning

RECOMMENDED BOOKS ON MAKING PICKLES

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