Sweet Pickled Vegetables

You can substitute 2 cups of (white) cane sugar or 1 ½ cups of cane sugar and ½ cup light brown sugar for the Sucanat. Chopped sweet pickled vegetables are a delicious addition to salmon patties or chicken salad.

Yield: About 3 quarts

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 cups Sucanat or raw pure cane sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons cracked or freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon celery seed
• 1 ½ cups organic cider vinegar
• 1 (1-pound) bag of baby carrots
• 1 large sweet onion, peeled and diced
• 1 green bell pepper, cleaned and diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cleaned and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, cleaned and diced
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1 cup frozen green beans, thawed

1. Add the salt, Sucanat or sugar, pepper, celery seed, and cider vinegar to the slow cooker. Cover and, stirring every 15 minutes, cook on high for an hour or until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Cut the baby carrots into four pieces each and add to the slow cooker. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 1 hour or until the carrots are crisp-tender.
3. Add the onion; green, yellow, and red peppers; celery; corn; and green beans to the slow cooker. Stir to combine with the carrots.
4. Transfer to glass jars and allow to come to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator. Chill before serving. Can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks if the vegetables are completely submerged in the sweet vinegar.

Sweet Pickled Beets and Vegetables

Substitute 1 or 2 (11- to 16-ounce) cans of drained sliced beets for an equal amount of the diced peppers, corn, or green beans called for in this recipe.