Dilly beans and peppers
Yield: about six clean pint (500 mL) jars.
Green and yellow wax beans and red peppers steeped in a zesty dill brine make delicious and colourful pickles. Use them in salads, on relish or charcutier trays or as a garnish. When mixed with a bit of salad oil, the brine makes a flavourful vinaigrette dressing.
- 3 c. white or apple cider vinegar 750 mL
- 3 c. water 750 mL*
- 3 tbsp. pickling salt 45 mL
- 2 1/4 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into jar-length pieces 1 kg
- 2 1/4 lb. yellow wax beans, trimmed and cut into jar-length pieces 1 kg
- 3 small red bell peppers, seeded and sliced into thin strips
- 18 whole black peppercorns
- 6 sprigs fresh dill **
- or 3 tsp. dill seed 15 mL
- 6 cloves garlic
*Note: use soft or bottled water as hard water can make pickles go soft.
**Note: The dill head is made up of many sprigs, cut the sprigs from the head using kitchen scissors.
Place six clean mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner; cover jars with water and heat to a simmer (180 F/82 C). Set screw bands aside. Heat snap sealing discs in hot water, not boiling (180 F/82 C). Keep jars and sealing discs hot until ready to use.
Wash and trim stem end from beans, leave on tails. Cut the beans into jar-size or shorter lengths for ease of packing. Core and seed peppers; cut into long thin strips.
In a large stainless-steel saucepan, combine vinegar, water and pickling salt. Bring to a boil. Add beans and pepper strips; return mixture to a boil. Remove from heat.
In hot jar, place three peppercorns, a sprig of dill or 1/2 tsp (2 ml) dill seed and one piece of garlic. Pack beans and pepper strips into a hot jar to within 3/4 inch (2 cm) of top of jar. Turning jar on its side makes it easier to stack the beans and peppers in the jar.
Add hot liquid to cover vegetables to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of top of jar. Using non-metallic utensil, remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if required, by adding more beans, peppers and hot liquid. Wipe jar rim to remove food residue.
Centre hot sealing disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight. Return filled jar to rack in canner. Repeat for remaining beans, peppers and hot liquid.
When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time. At altitudes up to 1,000 feet (305 metres), process by boiling filled jars for 10 minutes. For 1,001 to 6,000 feet (306 to 1,830 m) process 15 minutes and above 6,001 feet (1,831 m) process 20 minutes.
When processing time is complete, remove canner lid, wait five minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; Do not retighten screw bands.
After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands, wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use home canned foods within one year.
Note: For a spicier flavour add:
- 1 tsp. crushed red pepper 5 ml
- or 1 to 3 fresh hot chili peppers
Adapted from Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving.
Million Dollar Relish
This is a delicious relish that is wonderful on hot dogs and hamburgers or as a side for a roast or chops. This recipe was passed to me from my daughter Katherine, who got it from her mother-in-law Agatha Stoll. It is a well-loved recipe in the extended family.
Yields approximately 16 cups.
- 8 large, unpeeled cucumbers about 4 lb.
- 1 large cauliflower about 1 lb.
- 4 onions about 1 lb.
- 2 green peppers
- 2 red peppers
- 1/2 large cabbage (optional)about 1 lb
- 1/2 c. coarse pickling salt 125 mL
- 2 qt. water 2 L
- 3/4 c. flour 175 mL
- 4 c. white vinegar, 5 percent acetic acid 1 L
- 1 tbsp. turmeric 15 mL
- 1 tbsp. mustard seed 15 mL
- 1 tbsp. celery seed 15 mL
- 8 c. white sugar 1 L
Prepare vegetables by removing leaves from cauliflower, peel onions, remove seeds and membranes from peppers. Cut all vegetables into large chunks, about one to two inches. Put through a food grinder or food processor. Pulse food processor so vegetables don’t process to mush. Add pickling salt, cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, place eight clean 500 mL mason jars (or 16 – 250 mL mason jars) on a rack in a boiling water canner; cover jars with water and heat to a simmer (180 F/82 C). Set screw bands aside. Heat metal sealing discs in hot water, not boiling (180 F/82 C). Keep jars and sealing discs hot until ready to use.
In the morning, drain mixture well. Add two litres of water to rinse, drain, squeezing with a spoon to remove more liquid, until vegetables are quite dry.
Whisk together flour and some vinegar in a large pot to remove any flour lumps. Add rest of vinegar, turmeric, mustard seed, celery seed and sugar, stirring to combine. Simmer until mixture thickens. Add vegetables, stir continually, and cook for about 20 minutes.
Ladle relish into a hot jar to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of top of jar. Use a non-metallic utensil to remove air bubbles, and adjust head space, if required, by adding more relish. Wipe jar rim removing any food residue. Centre hot sealing disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight. Return filled jar to rack in canner. Repeat for remaining relish.
When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time. At altitudes up to 1,000 feet (305 m), process by boiling filled jars for 15 minutes. For 1,001 to 6,000 feet (306 to 1,830 metres) process 20 minutes and above 6,001 feet (1,831 metres) process 25 minutes.
Processing procedure source: United States National Centre Home Food Preservation (nchfp.uga.edu).
When processing time is complete, remove canner lid, wait five minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; do not retighten screw bands.
After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands, wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. Wait two weeks before using to allow flavours to blend.
For best quality, use home canned foods within one year.
Betty Ann Deobald is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and a member of Team Resources. Contact: team@producer.com.
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