Pickles
Raising goats is an awesome business to be in, however, there are things that must be dealt with, like all of the goat poop that is produced on a daily basis! We compost this “black gold,” which has turned our gardens into the most amazing wonderland. There have been times that I wondered if I had wandered into the Little Shop of Horrors!
Our cucumbers are prolific, our green beans unrivaled, tomatoes, rhubarb, beets, and so much more need to be used in a good and satisfying way, so why not pickles, relishes, jams, jellies, and salsas?
My grandmother had shared so many of her delicious recipes, which, I received so many compliments from, that I decided to start selling some of the products from these old-time recipes. Now we do hundreds of jars a season and sell them at farmers’ markets.
And, the moral of this story is: See! Everything from the goat is usable!
Please remember that these are old-time recipes and jars today and jars back then could vary in size. It will all depend on the size and shape of jars you use as to what your yield will be. I have given you a range of finished product.
Disclaimer: Please follow modern canning instructions. The methods described in these recipes are not intended to be strict instructions. Visit simplycanning.com or your local university extension office for more information.
Bread and Butter Pickles
I can’t even describe how good these are! Sweet/sour/crunchy — bet you can't eat just one!
Makes 5 or 6 pints
8 cups sliced pickling cukes
1/4 to 1/2 cup kosher or canning salt plus 1 tablespoon
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons celery seed
2 cups sliced onions
Sprinkle the cucumber slices with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of salt and let them set for 1 hour. Rinse with cold water and drain.
Combine the vinegar, remaining tablespoon of salt, sugar, and spices in a large kettle and heat to boiling. Add the cucumbers and onions, and bring to a boil.
Pack into clean, hot jars leaving 1/2" head space. Adjust the caps.
Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.
Corn Relish
Crunchy goodness from the garden.
Makes 6 pints
2 quarts corn
removed from the cob
1 quart chopped cabbage
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped sweet green peppers
1 cup chopped sweet red peppers
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 quart white vinegar
1 cup water
Combine all the ingredients in a large pot, add water, and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Pack the hot relish into clean, hot jars leaving 1/4" of head space. Adjust the caps and process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Crispy Garlic Dill Pickles
You can double, triple, or even quadruple this recipe depending on how many cucumbers you want to do!
Makes 8 to 10 quarts
20 or more pickling cukes
4 cups water
2 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup kosher or canning salt
1/2 cup sugar
Dill heads*
Garlic*
* Once you pack the sliced cucumbers into the jars, you will know how many cloves of garlic and dill heads you will need.
Slice the cucumbers lengthwise into spears. Pack into clean, hot jars and add one head of dill and one clove of garlic to each jar.
Boil the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar together and pour into the jars, leaving 1/2" of head space. Adjust the caps and put into a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Dilly Beans
Dilly beans are really popular in the New England states. We sell them at the farmers’ markets and they go as fast as I can make them!
Makes 7 pints
4 pounds green beans
1 pound yellow wax beans
1 large carrot
sliced into thin sticks
6 tablespoons kosher or pickling salt
3 cups white vinegar
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon dill seed per pint
(or 2 fresh dill heads per pint)
1/2 teaspoon mustard seed per pint
3 whole peppercorns per pint
1 clove garlic per pint
Trim the beans and remove strings. Cut the carrot sticks and string beans into lengths that will fit into your jars.
Combine the salt, vinegar, and water, and bring it to a boil.
Add the dill, mustard seed, peppercorns, and garlic cloves to each clean, hot jar. Pack the green beans into the jars and then place the yellow beans and carrots here and there along the outside of the jar so they will show. Cover with the boiling liquid, leaving 1/2" of head space; adjust the caps. (The beans must be completely covered with the liquid.)
Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Garlic Pickles
These pickles are very easy to make and for those who aren’t all that enamored with dill, they are a welcomed change.
Makes 6 quarts
2 cups water
6 cups cider vinegar
3 cups sugar
1 cup kosher or pickling salt
1 large onion
sliced thinly
12 cloves garlic
15 to 20 pickling cucumbers
sliced lengthwise and cut to fit your jars. (You may need more cucumbers depending on size.)
Place the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a pot and heat until boiling.
Place one large piece of garlic in the bottom of each clean, hot jar. Fill each jar with washed and sliced cukes. Put another clove of garlic on the top of the cukes along with a thin slice of onion.
Fill each jar with boiling brine to 1/2" head space.
Adjust the caps and place the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Mustard Pickles
Another old time favorite. A thickening sauce makes these unusual but really good!
Makes 4 to 6 pints
2 pounds cucumbers
sliced
1/2 cup kosher or canning salt
1 pound onions
sliced
1 large red bell pepper
chopped
1 quart apple cider vinegar
9 cups sugar
1 hot pepper
diced (optional)
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons dry mustard
3 tablespoons turmeric
Cover the cucumbers with water in a non-corrosive pan; add the salt, and let them sit overnight.
In the morning, drain the water and add the onions and pepper. Put in enough cider vinegar just to cover the cucumbers, and then add the sugar. Heat to boiling and boil for 5 minutes.
Mix enough water with the flour, mustard, and turmeric to make a thick liquid. Stir this into the pickles.
Pack into clean, hot jars, and then adjust the caps. Place in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.
Piccalilli
This was one of my dad’s favorite relishes. Now it’s one of my husband’s favorites! Very easy to make and really delicious.
Makes 6 to 8 pints
6 pounds green tomatoes
chopped
1 large green bell pepper
chopped
1 red chili pepper
minced
1/2 pound onions
sliced
1 cup kosher or pickling salt
6 cups cider vinegar
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1/2 cup horseradish
grated
Combine the tomatoes, peppers, and onions together in a large non-corrosive vessel. Sprinkle with the salt, cover with water, and let stand overnight. Drain completely.
Combine the vinegar, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and mustard seed, and add this to the vegetables. Simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Mix in the horseradish.
Pack into hot, clean jars and place in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
Sour Pickles
These pickles will really make you pucker up!
Makes 6 or 7 quarts
8 pounds pickling cukes
sliced
3 quarts cider vinegar
3 cups water
¾ cup kosher or pickling salt
¾ cup sugar
1/2 cup mustard seed
4 peppercorns per quart
Pack the cucumbers into clean, hot jars.
In a large non-corrosive pot, combine the vinegar, water, salt, sugar, and mustard seed, and bring to a boil. Pour the boiling liquid over the cucumbers, leaving about 1/2" head space. Put the peppercorns in each jar and adjust the lids.
Place jars in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.
Sweet Pickle Relish
When you are making a really good-quality relish, take the time to grind your vegetables. You can either use a meat grinder (the old-fashioned type that you screw down to the sideboard works really well!) or use your food processor, but don’t over-process and turn the veggies into mush.
Makes 6 pints
4 cups ground unpeeled cucumbers
1 cup ground green peppers
1/2 cup ground red bell peppers
3 cups finely diced celery
1/4 cup kosher or pickling salt
3 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups white vinegar
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 tablespoon mustard seed
Combine the cucumbers, green and red peppers, and celery in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Cover with cold water and let it sit for four hours.
Drain thoroughly in a colander and press out all of the liquid. If your colander has particularly large holes, you might want to line it with cheesecloth.
In a large non-corrosive pot, combine the sugar, vinegar, celery seed, and mustard seed, bring to a boil, and keep stirring until the sugar is all dissolved. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the veggies and return to a boil.
Pack into clean, hot jars leaving about 1/2" head space. Adjust the caps and place in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Zippy Zesty Salsa
I use this salsa in many of my recipes! I always make extra to have on hand and to give as gifts. Although this is a zesty-type salsa, it’s not overpowering.
Makes 6 pints
10 cups chopped Roma tomatoes
5 cups seeded and chopped green bell peppers
5 cups chopped onions
2 1/2 cups seeded and chopped hot peppers
(A combination of different peppers works great!)
3 cloves garlic
minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
3 teaspoons kosher or pickling salt
1 1/4 cups cider vinegar
Combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, hot peppers, garlic, cilantro, salt, and vinegar in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Pack into clean, hot jars and adjust the caps. Place the jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
Zucchini Relish
A great way to use up some of that baseball-bat-size zucchini that appeared from nowhere overnight!
Makes 6 or 7 pints
7 large zucchini
shredded
6-8 large carrots
shredded
2 large onions
shredded
2 large green bell peppers
shredded
2 tablespoons kosher or pickling salt
2 1/4 cups vinegar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon celery seed
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Shred the vegetables using a food processor or grater. If you use a food processor, do not over-process!
In a large non-corrosive pot, combine the zucchini, carrots, onions, peppers, salt, vinegar, sugar, celery seed, and dry mustard. Cook about 10 minutes or until the veggies are just beginning to get tender.
Immediately pack into clean, hot jars, leaving about 1/2" of head space. Adjust the caps and place in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.