Aunt Polys Sweet Pickles Food

BEST EVER SWEET PICKLES

Steps:

• In a large nonreactive bowl, combine cucumbers, onion and salt. Cover with crushed ice and mix well. Let stand 3 hours. Drain; rinse and drain thoroughly., In a Dutch oven, combine sugar, water, vinegars, mustard seed, celery seed and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cucumber mixture; return to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 4-5 minutes or until heated through., Carefully ladle hot mixture into 4 hot wide-mouth 1-pint jars, leaving 1/2-in. headspace. Add 3 garlic cloves and 1 bay leaf to each jar. Remove air bubbles and, if necessary, adjust headspace by adding hot pickling liquid. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight. , Place jars into canner with simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool.

EMERIL'S HOMEMADE SWEET AND SPICY PICKLES

Steps:

• Place cucumbers, onions, pickling salt, and water in a large, non-reactive bowl. Cover and allow cucumbers to soak for 2 hours. Drain the water from the onions and cucumbers through a colander and rinse well for 5 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
• Combine the vinegars, sugar, mustard seeds, turmeric, cloves, garlic, and peppers in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and add the cucumbers and onions. Bring to a simmer and remove the saucepan from the heat.
• Fill each of the hot sterilized pint-size preserving jars with the pickle mixture, dividing them evenly, and enough of the liquid to come within 1/2-inch of the top. Add 1/2 teaspoon of Natural Pickle Crisp to each jar, if desired. With a clean damp towel, wipe the rim and fit with a hot lid. Screw on the metal ring just until the point of resistance is met. Process the jars in a hot-water bath for 15 minutes.
• Using tongs, remove the jars, place on a towel, and let cool. Test the seals by allowing the jars to stand at room temperature overnight or until the lids pop. Tighten the rings and store in a cool dry place. Let the pickles age for at least 2 weeks before using.

AUNT POLLYS MEXICAN PICKLED CARROTS

Steps:

• 1. Wash, peel and slice into 1/4" slices as many carrots as you want to pickle.
• 2. Mix brine ingredients in a non reactive pan and heat to boiling. Taste the brine and adjust your flavorings (more vinegar Or water, more salt, garlic and spiciness to your liking) If you use the optional hot pepper, you can adjust the heat by adding more, but you cannot take any out, so I suggest you start with a conservative amount and add if you want it spicier) Keep just below boiling until needed.
• 3. Place carrots in a lg saucepan or stock pot, cover with salted water and cook until crisp tender. Do not over cook or you will end up with spicy pickled carrot baby food.
• 4. Drain carrots well and pack in sterilized pint jars.
• 5. Pour Hot brine over and leave about 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe rims and place lid and ring on the jar and turn it finger tight. (Not arm wrestling here, just tight)
• 6. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, remove and place on a towel in draft free place, let cool. When cool, check seals and store in cool dark place for at least a week to develop flavor.
• 7. If there are any jars that do not seal, keep them in refrigerator and taste them occasionally. LOL
• 8. I have also placed a small garlic clove in the bottom of the jars before packing or packed some rings of sweet hungarian peppers or slices of onions or sliced green peppers in with these carrots for variety

CLASSIC ALL-AMERICAN BURGER WITH FRIED SWEET PICKLES

Steps:

• For the burger patties: In a medium bowl, mix ground the beef, lamb, pork, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Use your hands to form 4 equal-size patties. Lightly sprinkle the outside of the patties with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat a grill or grill pan over high heat. Cook the patties until there is a good sear, about 2 minutes, and then turn 90-degrees for 2 more minutes. Flip the patties and repeat.
• Place 1 slice cheese atop each patty and transfer to a sheet tray. Cook in the hot oven until the cheese is melted, about 1 more minute. Remove the patties from the sheet tray and place on wire rack. Allow to rest for a minute while preparing pickles, buns, and toppings for plate.
• For the fried sweet pickles: In a medium saucepan, heat the oil to 350 degrees F. Mix the flour with the salt, chili powder, baking powder, paprika and pepper. Dip all of the pickles in the buttermilk, and then dredge in the seasoned flour and fry in the hot oil. When the pickles float to the surface a nice golden brown, remove from the oil. Immediately place on paper towels and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• To assemble the sandwiches: On the bottom half of each bun, spread a tablespoon of mayonnaise, place 1 burger and top with fried pickles. Cover with the top of the bun. Serve with side of ketchup, mustard, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and dill pickles.

OLD FASHIONED SWEET CUCUMBER PICKLE

Steps:

• Please note that I use whatever quantities of cucumbers I have on hand, adjusting the quantity of brines and syrup to cover the cucumbers generously. You will need more brine to cover the cukes initially than you will need syrup later as there is a lot of shrinkage. Therefore I don't guarantee the above quantities will all work out exactly but each solution is easy to adjust to what you need. Start with what you think will cover the cucumbers and just make a little more if you need it.
• The use of alum is no longer recommended in home canning - I have noticed that some of the big pickle companies still use it and so do I in these pickles. It makes them crisp. I have made them without and they were not nearly as good.
• Day# 1.
• Prepare the salt/water brine by heating together until salt dissolves. It will cool sufficiently while you prepare the cucumbers.
• Wash the cucumbers in cold water. If they are less than 1 1/2" inches in diameter slice them in 3/8" - 1/2" slices. Larger ones may be halved or quartered and the seeds scooped out then cut into pickle-sized chunks.
• Put the cucumbers in a container (a large crock is preferred but hard to come by anymore - a plastic pail works fine). Do not use metal.
• Pour the salt/water brine over the cucumbers to cover. Place a plate over the cucumbers to submerge them. Put a weight on it (plastic vinegar bottle perhaps?). Cover with a cloth. Let stand 7 days.
• Day#8.
• Your pickles might not look very nice after 7 days but they are okay. Drain the brine off (dump in a clean sink), rinse the pickles and pail, put cucumbers back in and cover with plain hot water. Let stand till next day, (day# 9) drain again, and cover with alum/water solution (again heated to dissolve alum). Let stand one day.
• Day# 10.
• Drain pickles and return to pail. Prepare syrup by combining sugar and vinegar in a large (not aluminum) pot. Tie the pickling spice in a piece of cheesecloth and put in pot. Add a couple of drops of green food coloring and several of yellow. Bring to boil, simmer 10 minutes. Pour over cucumbers, submerge the spice bag in the pail.
• Every day, for 3 days, (days 11-12-13) drain the syrup into a pot, reheat and pour back over the pickles. Each day check the color, correcting it with yellow food coloring - it rarely needs anymore green.
• On day #14 put the pickles in sterilized jars, adding a piece of cinnamon stick and a few whole cloves to each jar. Heat brine, (discard spice bag)and pour in jars to cover pickles, leaving a little head space. Seal with 2 piece lids.
• Modern canning instructions would now call for these to be processed in a water bath for 10 minutes. I do not. If the odd jar doesn't seal I refrigerate it and use it first. In a cool dark place these pickles will keep a long time (I usually make a 2 year supply) Time and servings guestimated.

TWO WEEK SWEET PICKLES

Steps:

• Take 75 medium sized cukes to a gallon of water.
• Add 1 pint salt (kosher).
• Let stand 1 week. (make sure all cukes are submerged or they will spoil; put plate and weight on).
• Take out and take 1 tablespoon powdered alum to 1 gallon of boiling water.
• Let stand 24 hours.
• Pour off and put on 1 gallon clean boiling water.
• Let stand 24 hours.
• Take out and split and put in 6 cups sugar, 3 pints vinegar, and whole allspice, cinnamon bark, and celery seed, or cinnamon, mustard, allspice and cloves.
• Pour this on boiling hot; let stand 24 hours.
• Pour this solution off pickles and boil three mornings straight, adding 1 cup sugar each morning (add to pickles).
• Boil 3 mornings straight without sugar.
• Pack in jars the last morning, pour boiling syrup over and seal.

AUNT POLY'S SWEET PICKLES

Steps:

• Drain off and throw away all vinegar from the jug of dill pickles.
• Cut pickles in disks, do not cut too thin.
• Return the pickles to the gallon jug and add the sugar to pickles.
• (It works best of you layer the pickles and sugar a couple to times.) Thghten the lid on jar and turn; shake the jar several times a day until all sugar has dissolved.
• Add 1 oz.
• Tabasco and pickling spices and mix well.
• You can do this by turning jug upside down several times.
• The pickles will be crisp in a week to 10 days.