In A Pickle

Yesterday I was back to making my final batch of pickles using up cucumbers I had on hand and to get some more experience working with vinegars and another method of canning food. The funny thing is that once again I was really hesitant and reluctant to make them, however once I got started it was a whole other story!

I really liked making pickles, perhaps more than making jams, chutneys and sauces. Maybe it is just me, I actually like savory foods far more then sweet ones, however there may be other elements of the process at work here too.

Making pickles is far more involved (at least it is for me so far) then making jams etc. Part of that may be because I have not made them before, the other part is the creativity. I enjoy using my brain and thinking about flavours, colours and how to influence the final results.

As usual I did lots of research before I started, found some general guidelines and then adapted, tweaked and did my own thing. To start with, cucumbers need to be soaked in ice water with sea salt to keep them crisp. Preferably this should be for 4 to 8 hours or overnight.

Cucumbers on ice in salted water

While the cucumbers soaked in the briny solution, I prepared some pickling spice - there are many variations, but I decided to use; cinnamon, mustard seed, bay leaf, dill seed, cloves, ginger, peppercorns, juniper berry and cardamon. Mostly because these were on hand.

I placed the spices into a small bag and tied it, then put this bag in with the water, salt and vinegar solution which was gently simmered for 15 minutes. As soon as the jars were sterilized and ready to go, I placed the sliced cucumbers inside, with dill and garlic then filled each jar with the vinegar brine. 

Cucumber Spears in jar

The last bunch of cucumbers I decided to make into a sweeter variation of pickle, so I added some honey, lemon and water to the vinegar solution along with dried dill herb. After thinly slicing these (with some shallots) and cooking for a few minutes in the solution, I placed them into a jar and poured the rest of the hot honey vinegar into it. 

Then processed each jar in a boiling water bath according to the recommended guidelines. Each jar sealed right up (I love when that happens) and now that job is behind me.

In the end, I made two types of pickles - 2 jars of garlic/dill  and 1 jar of bread and butter pickles. Each   smelled very different, but looked delicious! These are 1 litre jars, so we now have plenty on hand for the coming feasts and celebrations. 

And today I am looking around me wishing I had more cucumbers to make into pickles! The house always smells and feels warm, fuzzy and full of love when I am cooking. It's a great sense of accomplishment to see the cupboards full of homemade goodies as well.

Now, I have a feast to plan for next week - and everyone wants something different, so this will be fun!

Have a healthy day,

April

Finished jars of pickles.... cooling down

Mango Chutney

Yesterday I made my first mango chutney and it was a curious thing...because, I have never eaten mango chutney and it would probably be the last thing that I would go for on a table. So, I have no idea why I wanted to make it. Except that now I know that I can make anything and I wanted to give it a try.

We now have 3 jars of mango chutney that is supposed to sit for at least a month to allow the flavours to blend - after which it will supposedly taste even better. I am not certain that it tastes great at the moment, because I have absolutely nothing to compare it to, like I said, I have never tasted mango chutney before.

To make this type of preserve I did a fair amount of research - mostly to see if I could use dried mangoes instead of fresh ones (which are hard to get here in Ireland). I then soaked the dried mango for about 12 hours or so while I thought about the ingredients that should go into this chutney.

Dried mango soaking in water

I found lots of idea and recipes online - but in the end decided how it should taste. I did things a little bit differently and of course used the ingredients that I had on hand. I think it turned out ok, in about a month perhaps I will open a jar and try it. But, as of right now I am not entirely certain that I even like the stuff! LOL

This is an interesting place to be because I can't say that the smell was lovely or that the flavour was great - it was interesting, vinegary, tangy with sweet mixed in. The flavours were all still unblended - and even though the cooking takes far longer then a jam, it tasted like it still needed work - thus the mellowing process, I guess.

For the chutney I sautéd onions and garlic, then added these to mango, sultanas, chopped apple, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, apple juice, ginger, cumin, salt, pepper and for the first time, I had to add water. The mixture is quite heavy and will stick on the bottom of the pot if you are not stirring constantly. 

Mango Chutney cooking

However, it does look nice and I am sure might even be a taste that will grow on me once I try it properly with a meal. The great thing is that I did it, even when I am not certain that I will like it (hubby loves this stuff) and I feel as if my thinking around food is expanding once again. Branching out into new, otherwise unknown areas and using vinegars.

One thing that I kept coming across was mention of vinegar proof lids - to make sure that your lids are coated and therefore able for the vinegar. I actually find this very funny mostly because I remember as a child, pickles and all kinds of foods being preserved in the very old fashioned Mason jars - and I am sure that they were able for vinegar. 

So, what has changed with newer lids and jars that they are not able to withstand the vinegar or is this an entirely different issue we are talking about here with the 'fear' being put into those of us who want to make these types of foods at home? It did seem a little fear based (some of the comments about home canning) because foods have been preserved in some manner, for as long as humans have been here.

And indeed where I grew up (and perhaps when) many food were still being preserved, cod was being salted, caplin dried, jams and jellies preserved in jars, pickles and even meats were all canned for the coming winter. I absolutely loved this time of year and enjoyed seeing the results of the work as the jars lined up and I still do get a great sense of satisfaction from all of this. 

Absolutely anyone can preserve food while being creative at the same time, making foods that are far superior to anything that could possibly come out of a factory. Well, that's my rant for the morning! LOL

Lot's to think about when it comes to food,

April

Mango Chutney in Jars