So, as you can deduct from above, I didn't get the joy of saying I made them "from scratch" since I had to purchase a ready made spice mix. Oh well. I'll save the Martha recipe for next time.
Here's my cucumber crop.
I cut some in spears and used my mandolin to cut the others in rounds. I combined them with a couple of medium onions. I then used salt to draw out the liquid (supposedly they'll be crisper this way), and mixed in some ice. Three hours later, I was allowed to move forward.
The spice mix was combined with 8 cups of cider vinegar and 6 cups of sugar. After bringing to a simmer, I ladeled it into each of the mason jars. Oh, and I should say, I "sterilized" the jars by running them through a hi-heat cycle on the dishwasher. The jars were placed in a hot water bath and boiled for 10 minutes. It was definitely quite a feat removing those jars without dropping them. I thought a couple of jars didn't seal, but later as they cooled, I heard a few "pops" from the lids, like magic. For my first trial in canning, I'm pretty pleased.
Now I just have to be patient for several weeks before I open one to taste them! I'll make sure they're gift-worthy before I share.
3 comments:
Awesome!! I (heart) bread and butter pickles. Next canning mission: Salsa!
Not to be nit-pickley, but isn't it "deduce," as opposed to "deduct."
(I've been trying to figure out a way to use that pun all day)
While I wouln't put in a knitting order, I will put in an order for a jar of pickles. I have not done any canning this year--next summer when I won't have a grad class and when I will have a kitchen!
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