Many people think that canning is an art that takes lots of time, patience and an innate ability to turn perishable produce into long lasting delights. And they are right!
But only to an extent. Sure, it takes some preparation, and a bit of practice, but anyone can do it, and it is well worth the effort. Once summer and fall have passed and winter makes a dim memory of green yards and lush gardens, it’s a special treat to dip into the pickle jar and crunch on that homemade goodness.
We’re sharing two canning recipes today that are easy for any beginner to try – and tasty to boot. So don’t bother scrolling through recipes on the internet and getting bombarded with ad after ad. These recipes work. Guaranteed.
The same canning practices apply for each of them. Always use clean and sterilized jars. The liquid must be boiling when you pour it into the jars, and it’s recommended that you use new lids that have been in boiling water for at least 5 minutes.
Teresa’s Pickles
Ingredients:
- Pickling cucumbers (enough to fill 3 quarts, about 4 kg)
- 5 cups water
- 2 cups pickling vinegar
- 1 teaspoon alum
- 1/2 cup pickling salt
- Garlic cloves (Around 9 to 12 cloves, depending on size. 3 to 4 cloves/jar)
- Fresh dill (yellow flowers and leaves)
Directions:
In large pot add water, vinegar, alum and pickling salt and put on high to boil. In the meantime wash and pat dry the cucumbers, clean garlic and remove flowers and leaves from the dill plants.
In sterilized jar, place a couple cloves of garlic, a dill flower and a few sprigs of dill, then add cucumbers, some more garlic and dill and some more cucumbers. Cucumbers may be cut to fit into the jar. Pack tight! Pour boiling water mixture into the jar, leaving about 2 cm from the top. Wipe top of jar with clean cloth, place lid from pot of boiling water on top and seal. Place on counter to cool. When lid “pops” it has sealed. Place in pantry or cold room for a month or so to flavour. Enjoy! Recipe makes about 3 quarts. Recipe can be doubled or tripled.
Lisa’s Beet Pickles
Ingredients:
- Beets (enough to fill 8 pints, about 3 kg)
- 5 cups pickling vinegar
- 5 cups sugar
- Pickling spice
- Cloves
directions:
Blanch, peel and cut beets, set aside. (Tip: leave about 8 cm of the beet top on while boiling. Less of the beet will “bleed” and your beets will retain more of their red colour.) While beets are blanching, prepare the liquid: put vinegar and sugar into pot, along with a couple handfuls of pickling spice tied in a cheese cloth, and boil. Place 3 to 4 cloves in a sterilized pint jar then fill with beets, being sure to leave about 2 cm of space from the top. Pour boiling liquid over beets, leaving about 1 cm from the top. Wipe jar top with clean cloth, place lid (in boiling water for a minimum of 5 minutes) on jar, seal and set on counter to cool. When lid “pops” it has sealed. Place in pantry or cold room to set and enjoy about 1 month later. Recipe makes about 8 pints. Recipe can be doubled or tripled.
