![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Onion-and-garlic-300x225.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
You asked for it, and you are definitely getting it.<\/p>\n
Pickling and preserving is as old as, or older than, the Egyptian beer brewing business, which grew out of soaking wheat kernels to soften and sprout them. That water was allowed to ferment and turned into a beer that is reproduced today \u2013 wheat beer on a commercial scale.<\/p>\n
Both of these recipes call for the small early cucumbers. You can either grow them if you have the room, or put in an order with a local truck farmer for small whole pickling cucumbers. \u00a0The cucumbers themselves do not need to be more than 1 \u00bd inch to 2 inches in diameter, and for the dill pickles, short enough to fit a large bunch into the jars.<\/p>\n
First up is my mother\u2019s ancient recipe for small, early cukes.\u00a0 Since they are sliced very thin, the jars can be about the size of jam jars \u2013 about a pint.\u00a0 I recommend making a small batch first, to test the flavoring, and make your own adjustments. They are semi-sweet and a tad spicy, but very good<\/p>\n
Aristocrat Pickles<\/u><\/p>\n
2 gallons of thinly sliced early cucumbers (How thin? 1\/8 inch – use a mandolin)<\/p>\n
Brine these covered for about 8 days in a non-reactive pot.<\/p>\n
Brining ingredients are 2 cups of coarse salt to one gallon of boiling water.\u00a0 To keep slices from floating to the top, weight the mass of sliced cukes down.<\/p>\n
Drain after 8 days, cover with fresh water and simmer<\/u> on the stove top for a half hour.<\/p>\n
Drain the liquid, add 1 tablespoon of powdered alum and water to cover the cucumber slices. Simmer<\/u> this for a half hour.<\/p>\n
Drain the liquid again. Add 1 tablespoon of powdered ginger and water to cover. Simmer<\/u> for a half hour.<\/p>\n
The pickling solution is as follows and goes into the pickle pot after a brief boil:<\/p>\n
1 pint of water<\/p>\n
1 pint of vinegar (does not say regular or cider, but you could try either)<\/p>\n
6 cups of sugar<\/p>\n
1 teaspoon each: crumbled cinnamon bark, whole cloves, celery seed, whole allspice, in a simmering cloth bag. (Bag is plain cotton cloth with a drawstring to close it.)<\/p>\n
Boil the spices with the pickling solution for 5 minutes<\/span>. Add bag and liquid to the simmering<\/u> sliced cukes and leave the bag with them, simmering<\/u> for about a half hour or until the slices look clear.\u00a0 DO NOT LET THEM BOIL. (You have to watch them like small children.)<\/p>\n Put the sliced pickles into small jars with some pickling liquid. I think if you boil the pickle jars in a\u00a0 canning kettle, they\u2019ll be hot enough to seal without any further heat, once you remove them from the hot canning bath.\u00a0 Let them cool on a clean towel and listen for the *PLINK!* noises.\u00a0 Let them sit for about 3 weeks to absorb the seasonings.<\/p>\n Next is Betty\u2019s dill pickles, and these are very similar to Claussen\u2019s small garlic dill pickles.<\/p>\n Betty’s Dill Pickles<\/u><\/p>\n In a large kettle, boil the following together until the salt is dissolved:<\/p>\n 5 quarts of water<\/p>\n 1 quart cider vinegar<\/p>\n 1 \u00bd cups of coarse salt<\/p>\n Heat quart jars to boiling in a canning kettle, then turn off the heat.<\/p>\n Place the following in each jar:<\/p>\n 1 head of dill weed<\/p>\n 1 clove of garlic<\/p>\n \u00bc onion<\/p>\n \u00bc teaspoon alum powder<\/p>\n Fill each jar with the small cucumbers.\u00a0 \u00a0When the pickling solution is boiling, pour in enough to cover jar contents to within \u00bd inch of the top, cover and seal. All cukes must be small enough to fit below the pickling solution line.<\/p>\n Remove jars to the countertop and let them seal. Wait for the \u201cPLINK\u201d noise. They should seal without a hot water bath if they are hot. Also, these should sit on the shelf for about 3 weeks to get the seasonings thoroughly absorbed. They are best when served cold and crunchy. Again, adjust the seasonings to your preference. I like two garlic cloves instead of one, but that\u2019s just me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"