Pickled Dilled Beans
Ingredients:
4 pounds fresh, tender green or yellow beans (5- to 6-inches long)
8 to 16 heads fresh dill
8 cloves garlic (optional)
½ cup canning or pickling salt
4 cups white vinegar (5-percent acidity)
4 cups water
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional)
Yield: About 8 pints
Procedure: Wash and trim ends from beans and cut to 4-inch lengths. In each sterile pint jar, place 1 to 2 dill heads and, if desired, 1 clove of garlic. Place whole beans upright in jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Trim beans to ensure proper fit, if necessary. Combine salt, vinegar, water and pepper flakes (if desired). Bring to a boil. Add hot solution to beans, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. Process 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Pickles Dilled Okra
Ingredients:
7 pounds small okra pods
6 small hot peppers
4 teaspoons dill seed
8 to 9 garlic cloves
2/3 cup canning or pickling salt
6 cups water
6 cups vinegar (5 percent acidity)
Yield: 8 to 9 pints
Procedure: Wash and trim okra. Fill hot pint jars firmly with whole okra, leaving ½-inch headspace. Place 1 garlic clove in each jar. Combine salt, hot peppers, dill seed, water and vinegar in large saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour hot pickling solution over okra, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Pickled Beets
Ingredients:
7 pounds of 2- to 2½-inch diameter beets
4 cups vinegar (5 percent acidity)
1½ teaspoons canning or pickling salt
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
12 whole cloves
4 to 6 onions (2 to 2½-inch diameter) if desired
Yield: About 8 pints
Procedure: Trim off beet tops, leaving 1 inch of stem and roots to prevent bleeding of color. Wash thoroughly. Sort for size. Cover similar sizes together with boiling water and cook until tender (about 25 to 30 minutes). Caution: Drain and discard liquid. Cool beets. Trim off roots and stems and slip off skins. Slice into ¼-inch slices. Peel and thinly slice onions. Combine vinegar, salt, sugar and fresh water. Put spices in a cheesecloth bag and add to vinegar mixture. Bring to a boil. Add beets and onions. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove spice bag. Fill jars with beets and onions, leaving ½-inch headspace. Add hot vinegar solution, maintaining ½-inch headspace. Adjust lids. Process pints or quarts 30 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Variation: Pickled whole baby beets. Follow above directions, but use beets that are 1 to 1½ inches in diameter. Pack whole; do not slice. Onions may be omitted.
Pickled Cauliflower or Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients:
12 cups of 1- to 2-inch cauliflower flowerets or small Brussels sprouts
4 cups white vinegar (5-percent acidity)
2 cups sugar
2 cups thinly sliced onions
1 cup diced sweet red peppers
2 tablespoon mustard seed
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
Yield: About 9 half-pints
Procedure: Wash cauliflower flowerets or Brussels sprouts. (Remove stems and blemished outer leaves.) Boil in salt water (4 teaspoons canning salt per gallon of water) for 3 minutes for cauliflower and 4 minutes for Brussels sprouts. Drain and cool. Combine vinegar, sugar, onion, diced red pepper and spices in large saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. Distribute onion and diced pepper among jars. Fill jars with pieces and pickling solution, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids and process half-pints or pints for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Marinated Whole Mushrooms
Ingredients:
7 pounds small whole mushrooms
½ cup bottled lemon juice
2 cups olive or salad oil
2½ cups white vinegar (5 percent acidity)
1 tablespoon oregano leaves
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
1 tablespoon canning or pickling salt
½ cup finely chopped onions
¼ cup diced pimento
2 cloves garlic, cut in quarters
25 black peppercorns
Yield: About 9 half-pints
Procedure: Select very fresh unopened mushrooms with caps less than 1¼ inches in diameter. Wash. Cut stems, leaving ¼ inch attached to caps. Add lemon juice and water to cover. Bring to boil. Simmer 5 minutes. Drain mushrooms. Mix olive oil, vinegar, oregano, basil and salt in a saucepan. Stir in onions and pimento and heat to boiling. Place a quarter garlic clove and 2 to 3 peppercorns in each half-pint jar. Fill jars with mushrooms and hot, well-mixed oil/vinegar solution, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids and process half-pints for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Pickled Sweet Green Tomatoes
Ingredients:
10 to 11 pounds of green tomatoes (16 cups sliced)
2 cups sliced onions
¼ cup canning or pickling salt
3 cups brown sugar
4 cups vinegar (5 percent acidity)
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 tablespoon allspice
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 tablespoon whole cloves
Yield: About 9 pints
Procedure: Wash and slice tomatoes and onions. Place in bowl, sprinkle with ¼ cup salt and let stand 4 to 6 hours. Drain. Heat and stir sugar in vinegar until dissolved.
Tie mustard seed, allspice, celery seed and cloves in a spice bag. Add to vinegar with tomatoes and onions. If needed, add minimum water to cover pieces. Bring to boil and simmer 30 minutes, stirring as needed to prevent burning. Tomatoes should be tender and transparent when properly cooked. Remove spice bag.
Fill jar and cover with hot pickling solution, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. Process pints for 10 minutes and quarts for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Pickled Onions
Ingredients:
4 quarts tiny onions, peeled
1 cup salt
2 cups sugar
¼ cup mustard seed
2½ tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 quarts distilled white vinegar
7 small hot red peppers
7 bay leaves
Yield: About 7 pint jars
Procedure: To peel onions, cover with boiling water; let stand 2 minutes. Drain; dip in cold water; peel. Sprinkle onions with salt; add cold water to cover. Let stand 12 to 18 hours in refrigerator. Drain onions; rinse and drain thoroughly. Combine sugar, mustard seed, horseradish and vinegar; simmer 15 minutes.
Pack onions into hot pint jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Add 1 hot pepper and 1 bay leaf to each jar. Heat pickling liquid to a boil. Pour boiling hot liquid over onions, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Mixed Vegetable Pickles
Ingredients:
1 quart small cucumbers (cut into 1-inch slices)
2 cups pared carrots (1½-inch slices)
2 cups celery (1½-inch slices)
2 sweet red peppers (cut into wide strips)
1 small cauliflower (broken into flowerets)
2 cups peeled pickling onions
1 cup salt
4 quarts water
2 cups sugar
¼ cup mustard seed
2 tablespoons celery seed
1 hot red pepper
6½ cups vinegar
Yield: About 6 pint jars
Procedure: Dissolve salt in cold water. Pour over prepared vegetables. Let stand 12 to 18 hours in the refrigerator. Drain thoroughly. Add spices, hot red pepper and sugar to vinegar; boil 3 minutes. Add vegetables; simmer until thoroughly heated. Pack, boiling hot, into hot jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. Process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Pickled Three-Bean Salad
Ingredients:
1½ cups cut and blanched green or yellow beans (prepared as below)
1½ cups canned, drained, red kidney beans
1 cup canned, drained garbanzo beans
½ cup peeled and thinly sliced onion (about 1 medium onion)
½ cup trimmed and thinly sliced celery (1½ medium stalks)
½ cup sliced green peppers (or ½ medium pepper)
½ cup white vinegar (5 percent acidity)
¼ cup bottled lemon juice
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup oil
½ teaspoon canning or pickling salt
1¼ cups water
Yield: About 5 to 6 half-pints
Procedure: Wash and snap off ends of fresh beans. Cut or snap into 1- to 2-inch pieces. Blanch 3 minutes and cool immediately. Rinse kidney beans with tap water and drain again. Prepare and measure all other vegetables. Combine vinegar, lemon juice, sugar and water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add oil and salt and mix well. Add beans, onions, celery and green pepper to solution and bring to a simmer. Marinate 12 to 14 hours in refrigerator and then heat entire mixture to a boil. Fill clean, hot jars with solids. Add hot liquid, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. Process half-pints or pints for 15 minutes in a boiling water canner.
Artichoke Pickles
Ingredients:
1 peck Jerusalem artichokes
Vinegar to cover
2 cups salt
4 tablespoons turmeric
10 to 12 medium red peppers
Pickling Solution:
1 gallon vinegar
13 cups (6 pounds) sugar
½ cup pickling spice (tied in spice bag)
2 tablespoons turmeric
Yield: About 10 to 12 pint jars.
Scrub Jerusalem artichokes and cut into chunks. Pack in a food-grade plastic container, crock or glass jar. Cover with vinegar. Add 2 cups salt and 4 tablespoons of turmeric; mix. Soak 24 hours. Just before that time is up, prepare pickling solution by combining 1 gallon vinegar, sugar, pickling spice and 2 tablespoons turmeric, in a large pan. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove spice bag. Drain artichokes, discarding the liquid.
Pack artichokes into hot pint jars, adding 1 medium red pepper to each jar. Be sure to leave ½-inch headspace. Fill to ½ inch from the top with hot pickling solution. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust jar lids. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Altitude Adjustments
The processing times given in these recipes are for altitudes of 0 to 1000 feet. Most areas in South Carolina will fall within these altitudes, but for those living at altitudes between 1000 and 2000 feet, add 5 minutes to each processing time.
For more information on canning pickles, request HGIC 3100, Pickle Basics; HGIC 3101, Common Pickle Problems; or HGIC 3040, Canning Foods at Home; or contact your county Extension agent.
Originally published 05/99
