Hey! The Kitchen Smells Like A Pickle Factory!!

Today I picked a bunch of various size cucumbers, and Mom and I made them into three different kinds of pickles:  garlic dills, bread and butter slices, and sweet relish.   People sometimes say that cukes are "worthless", but they actually DO have plenty of minerals and vitamins.  They are a good source of vitamin K, too.  And they are supposed to boost the power of antioxidants.   I use the relish in egg salad, potato salad, and macaroni salad (the relish is also good on hot dogs and hamburgers if you eat that sort of thing).   Sometimes I stir a few tablespoons into baked beans for an added zip.   Pickles seem to round out a meal and provide just the right contrast in taste.   Having a pantry with homemade pickles and relishes adds a lot to home cooked meals.   So, it is well worth the effort!

Today's 'raw materials' from the garden!

 

 

Left, ground cukes and onions for relish, top, small pickles for dills, and right, sliced cukes for bread and butter pickles.

The finished products!  Dill pickles, bread and butter slices, and relish. 

Here is my favorite recipe for the Sweet Cucumber Relish.   It makes about 7 or 8 jelly jars of relish.
6 cups ground cucumbers (I use a hand cranked meat grinder)
2 cups ground onions
3 T. pickling or canning salt
3 cups sugar
2 cups cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 1/2 tsp. celery seeds.
**Optional:  I sometimes add a small hot pepper or two ground up, or a large bell pepper to the relish along with the cukes.  

In a large bowl layer the cucumber and onion and sprinkle canning salt between layers.   Add enough cold water to cover the vegetables and let stand for 2 hours.  Drain thoroughly and press out the excess liquid.
     In a 6 to 8 qt. stainless steel pan, combine the sugar, vinegar and seeds.  Heat until sugar is dissolved.   Add the drained vegetables to the syrup, and simmer gently for about 6 minutes.  Stir frequently. 
     Ladle the hot relish into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.   I use a slotted spoon to put most of the ground cukes in the jar, and use a ladle to put juice and ground veggies on top of that.   Wipe the jar rims and threads with a damp cloth, cover with hot lids and apply rings.   Process jars in a water bath for 15 minutes.