Our first good sized cucumber harvest of the year...and it's time to make some pickles.
The first step is to scrub all the dirt and little pickle prickles off.
After quartering, we scoop out the seeds of the larger pickles. If they are small, no need to do this step.
Then they're cut into half inch size pieces and measured. In this recipe, we will be using 14 cups.
You can't have a good pickle mix without onions! Using this handy dicer, we will have the required 6 cups of onions in no time and with only a few tears.
One red pepper is diced and added to the mix.
One quarter cup of pickling salt is sprinkled over the top...
And everything is mixed together and allowed to stand for one hour.
Meanwhile, 7 clean pint size mason jars are brought to a boil in preparation for filling.
The lids will be covered with boiling water soon before filling, and the screw bands are at hand.
The dry ingredients for the spice mix are:
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup dry mustard
1 tbsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. turmeric
You will also need:
2 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup water
Mix the dry ingredients in a large stainless steel cooking vessel and add the vinegar and water gradually. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook about 5 minutes or until thickened.
Drain the vegetables well.
Then add them to the pot of hot mustard sauce. Return to a boil, stirring constantly.
Remove one jar at a time from the hot water and fill it with the pickle mix using a funnel.
Wipe the jar rim to remove any stickiness, then add the lid and the screw cap.
Place the filled jar into the boiling water and repeat with the remaining jars. Return the water to a boil and process for 15 minutes. Then remove the jars and allow to cool, upright, and undisturbed for 24 hours. After cooling, check to make sure the lids are sealed, remove the bands, wipe the jars clean, and store in a cool, dark place. This recipe will make 7 pints.
That's it! Now you will have a colorful and flavorful pickle to enjoy in the cold winter months.