Homemade Pickle Recipes - "Putting Up" Veges

The days are gone when a homemaker had to make all her own pickles and relishes. There is, however, a kind of joy in "putting up" one or two special treats.

These make great Christmas gifts, and friends and family appreciate the loving care you put into these goodies into which you have put loving care.

I am sharing my top favorites with you. If your kitchen is small, cut the pickles recipes in half and just spend a short time puttering. If you have a big family and plenty of space, these will help the budget and provide for extra treats.

Bread & Butter Pickles

These are a must have to eat with vegetables

  • 4 onions, sliced
  • 6 large fresh cucumbers, sliced
  • 1 pint white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seed
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed

Wash and slice cucumbers. Peel and slice onions. Mix cucumber and onions with salt and let stand for 1 hour.

Drain and rinse vegetable with about 2 cups cold water.

Combine celery and mustard seed, with sugar and vinegar, heat this mixture to boiling. Allow 3 minutes to cook.

Put vegetables into jars, add hot vinegar mixture, leaving 1/4 inch of space. Seal immediately and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Store Pickles in a cool, dark place. They will be ready to eat in 3-4 weeks. They will keep for up to a year. Always date jars.

Makes about 6 pints.

Dill Pickles

Very good pickles and worth the process.

  • 16 lb. cucumbers
  • 1/2 box alum
  • 10 lb. sugar
  • 1 gal. vinegar
  • 2 small boxes pickling spice

Brine - Put enough salt in water to float an egg. Cover cucumbers in brine for 14 days. Drain and wash cucumbers and cut.

Mix 1/2 box alum in enough water to cover pickles and let set for 24 hours. Drain and rinse pickles and cover with pure cider vinegar for 6 hours.

After 6 hours, drain pickles and put a layer of pickles, a layer of sugar, then sprinkle pickling spice on top of sugar. Layer pickles, sugar and spice until all is used.

Cover and let syrup finish pickles. Will keep indefinitely.

Dill Pickled Green Beans

These make a great snack, when you like to have fresh vegetables all year long.

  • 2 lb. fresh green beans
  • 4 sprigs fresh dill
  • 2 Tbsp. coarse salt
  • 4 c. water
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp. red pepper or to taste
  • 4 c. white vinegar

Trim green beans to fit jars, pack standing up in 4 prepared sterilized jars.

Add 1 clove garlic, 1 sprig of dill and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper to jar.

Heat salt, water and vinegar to boiling in large saucepan and pour over beans.

Seal jars and keep 2 weeks or longer before serving.

Pickled Eggs

These are great to eat as a snack or to eat with vegetables.

  • 6 eggs
  • 1 c. canned beet juice1 c. cider vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1/2 bay leaf
  • 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Hard boil eggs. Plunge into cold water and shell immediately. Put eggs in quart jar.

Combine remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and pour over eggs.

Cover, cool in refrigerator overnight or for at least 8 hours.

Pickled Beets

Great to serve at cookouts, fish fries or almost any meal.

  • 1 c. water
  • 1/3 c. sugar
  • 1/2 c. vinegar
  • canned or fresh beets

Bring water, sugar and vinegar to a boil. Pour over cooked beets. Let stand for a few hours for beet to absorb liquid flavor.

Keeps well in refrigerator for several weeks. If canned beets are used, use liquid from the beets and add enough water to make 1 cup.

Pickled Jalapenos

Great to serve with salads, in omelets, with burgers or anything you desire.

  • Jalapeno Peppers
  • 1/4 c. water
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 c. vinegar
  • 1/4 olive oil
  • 1 tsp. mixed pickling spice

Wash and pack jalapeno peppers tightly into hot jars.

Combine remaining ingredients and bring to boil.

Cover peppers with boiling liquid, leaving 1/2-inch head space.

Seal jars and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Start to count processing time when water returns to boiling.

Spicy Corn Relish

A must have when eating vegetables..

  • 1 qt. whole canned corn or fresh if your prefer
  • 1 c. chopped celery
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. salt
  • 1 c. cut up pimento
  • 1 c. green pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 c. chopped onion
  • 1 pt. vinegar (2 c.)
  • 1 tsp. celery seed

Mix sugar, salt, celery seed and vinegar together and pour over vegetables and boil 20 minutes.

Seal while hot.

Carrot Relish

Great with fish.

  • 2 c. grated carrots
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 1 lemon rind, chopped (no membrane)

Combine ingredients and let set for 12 hours.

Can be frozen if desired.

Chow Chow Relish

Some people call it green tomato relish, it's great served with vegetables.

  • 5 cups coarsely chopped
  • cabbage (about 1 1/2 pounds cabbage)
  • 5 cups coarsely chopped green tomatoes (about 5 tomatoes)
  • 2 cups coarsely chopped bell pepper (about 4 peppers)
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 1/2 cups finely chopped yellow onion or sweet onion
  • 1 tsp. celery seed
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 Tbsp. yellow mustard seeds
  • 1/3 cup kosher salt or pickling salt
  • 2 1/2 cups cider vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste, optional

Combine all chopped vegetable in a large bowl. Add salt and stir to thoroughly cover vegetables. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Drain vegetable and rinse well.

In a large nonreactive pan, add brown sugar, vinegar and all spices and seeds to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add the drained vegetables and let return to a full boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.

Pickled Watermelon Rind

Delicious by itself, or wrapped in bacon for a great finger food, and they are great added to chicken, tuna and shrimp salads.

  • 7 lbs watermelon rind
  • 5 lbs. each white and brown sugar, mixed
  • 1 qt. vinegar
  • 1 pt. water
  • 1 tsp. lump alum
  • 1 tbsp. cloves, put in cloth bag
  • 6 sticks cinnamon

Pare watermelon rind; cut into strips.

Boil until tender and clear in water with 1/2 tsp. alum and salt. Drain

Chill in ice water; dry on clean cloth.

Boil vinegar, sugar and water to a light syrup; add melon rind and spices; boil until clear.

Remove spices; pour in mason jars and seal.

Leave for a few weeks before use.