Pickled Cabbage Slaw

 A salad in a jar, ready to eat and delicious.  A few simple ingredients and voila!

This recipe makes 8 500ml jars.

Ingredients

3 med.        white cabbages- cored and shredded

1/4 cup.       Kosher salt

1/2 cup.       Each- julienned carrots, red onions, red and yellow bell peppers

1                  Each- Serrano, jalapeño, banana pepper - diced (optional)

3 cups.         Water

4 cups.         White vinegar

3 1/2 cups.   Sugar

Directions

In a bowl, put in the cabbage and cover with salt.

Toss and set aside for a minimum of two hours to overnight so that the salt will soften the cabbage.  No need to salt the other vegetables.

After salting, rinse the cabbage twice to remove as much salt as possible.  In a large bowl, combine the rinsed cabbage with the other vegetables.  Mix well to evenly distribute.

In a stainless steel or enameled pot, heat water, vinegar, sugar.  Heat to a simmer, until the sugar is dissolved.

Add the cabbage/vegetable mixture to the brine, stir once and with a slotted spoon put the cabbage mixture back into the original bowl.  Ladle the veggies into the jars.

Ladle the hot brine into each cabbage-filled jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles and refill to the proper headspace.

Wipe the rims of the jars, apply lids and rings to the jars.  Place the jars into the steam canner and process for 15 minutes.  When time is up, turn off the heat, remove the lid carefully and leave the jars to sit in the canner for five minutes.  

Blue Agave Sweetened Pickle Slices

 What to do with a premium bottle of Mexican blue agave syrup.  This recipe seems perfect.  Can’t wait for the pickles to be ready.  This recipe is adapted from Marisa McClennan’s  Naturally Sweet Food in Jars.

I am well acquainted with Kosher dills and bread and butter pickles- either no sugar or lots of sugar.  I am expecting good things from agave sweetened pickles.

This recipe 3 500 ml jars

Ingredients

2 lbs.     pickling cucumbers

4 cups.   Apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups agave syrup

2 tbsp.    Pickling salt

2 tbsp.    Yellow mustard seeds

1 tbsp.     Allspice berries

1 tbsp.     Celery seeds

1.            Cinnamon stick, broken into three pieces

Directions

Wash the cucumbers and trim the ends.  Slice the cucumbers into thin slices- for authenticity use a crinkle slicer.  In a large pan, combine the vinegar, agave, spices salt and bring to a boil.  Add the cucumber slices and simmer for about 3-4 minutes.  The goal is to tenderize the slices, do not overcook.

Once the cucumber slices have softened, remove from heat.  Pack the slices into the prepared jars.  Return the brine to the heat and bring to a boil.  Cook to reduce for 4 -5 minutes.  The goal is to thicken the brine and bring out the sweetness of the agave.

Funnel the brine into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Wipe the rims, add the rings and place in a steam canner.  Process for 10 minutes.  At the end of the 10 minutes, turn off heat, remove the lid carefully and leave the jars in the water for about five minutes.

Wait for about two weeks before tasting.  Enjoy!

Strawberry Chutney

 I couldn’t pass up that specially low priced basket of strawberries.  But what to prepare?  This year, 2023, I’ve been exploring chutneys so, Strawberry Chutney is what I made.  This is a little out of my wheelhouse but I am looking forward to tasting, after it sits for about a month or so.

To make about 8 250ml jars.

Ingredients

4 lbs.       Strawberries, hulled and diced

2 cups.    Onions, about one large, minced

2 cups.   Light brown sugar

1 1/2 cups. Golden raisins

1.           Lemon, seeded and chopped

3 tbsps.  Yellow mustard seeds

1 tbsp.    Kosher salt

2 tsps     red pepper flakes

2             Star anise

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot, stir to combine, and bring to a vigorous boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until the mixture has reduced and developed a thick, spreadable consistency, about 50-60 minutes.

When the chutney is finished cooking, remove the pot from the heat. Remove the star anise from the mixture before ladling into prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings and process in a steam canner for 15 minutes.

When the processing time is over, turn off the heat, car efully remove the lid and let the jars sit in the canner for about five minutes.

L

Caramelized Red Onion Relish

 This recipe is adapted from one of my favourite “go to” canning books- Food in Jars by Marisa McClennan.  Check it out.  

I love last year’s Sweet & Sour Red Onion Pickles and I think this year’s love will be Caramelized Red Onion relish.  Besides, I just made a few batches of garlic powder using my freshly harvested garlic.  Will know in a few weeks when the relish has “rested”, how it turns out, garlic and all.

Put this on cheese and crackers, add it to burgers and meats, spread it on a pizza or focaccia.

This recipe makes about 6  250ml jars.

Ingredients

1 tbsp.     Unsalted butter

1.2 kg.     Red onions, sliced into thin half moons (4 or five large onions)  Use your food processor slicing             blade set to 2.5 for uniform slices)

1 cup.       Brown sugar

1 cup.       Apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup.    Malt vinegar

2 tsp.        Sea salt

1 tsp.        Garlic powder

1/2 tsp      Ground black pepper

1/4 tsp.     Cayenne pepper

Directions

I place clean jars in my dishwasher on the rinse cycle to heat them up, ready for filling.

Melt the butter over medium-low heat, in a large canning pot.  Add the onions.  Cook until the onions are golden and fragrant, about 20-25 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Increase the heat and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until the liquid is reduced.

Ladle the relish into the hot jars.  Gently tap the jars on a towel lined countertop to help loosen any bubbles, before using a wooden chopstick to dislodge any remaining bubbles.  Wipe the rims, apply the lids and screw bands and process in a steam canner for 15 minutes.  When the processing time is up, remove the lid carefully and let the jars sit in the canner for about five minutes.  This helps to prevent the relish from reacting to the rapid temperature change.