Grandma Nowiskis Crock Pickles Food

EIGHT-DAY ICICLE PICKLES

Steps:

• Day 1: Place the cucumbers into a large (10-quart) jar or pickle crock. Stir the pickling salt and 16 cups of water (or as needed to cover the cucumbers) into a large pot, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Pour the boiling salt mixture over the cucumbers, and cover the crock with a cover or dinner plate.
• Days 2 and 3: Stir the pickles and brine once each day. Cover the crock each time.
• Day 4: Pour off the brine. Bring 16 more cups of water to a boil, and pour the boiling water over the pickles. Cover.
• Day 5: Pour off the water from the pickles again, and bring alum and 16 cups of water to a boil. Stir until the alum is completely dissolved. Pour the boiling water-alum mixture over the pickles. Cover.
• Day 6: In a large pot, boil 16 more cups of water with the sugar, pickling spice, vinegar, and food coloring. Pour the water-alum mixture from the pickles and discard, and pour the boiling sugar mixture over the pickles. Cover.
• Day 7: Pour off the syrup from the pickles, but retain the syrup. Transfer the syrup into a large pot, bring to a boil again, and pour over the pickles. Cover.
• Day 8: Pour off and retain the syrup again, and transfer into a large pot. Reboil the syrup over medium heat. Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack the pickles into the hot, sterilized jars, and pour the boiling syrup in, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 15 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area.

GRANDMA MINECCI'S SNOWBALL COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Beat shortening, butter, and white sugar together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy; add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Sift flour and salt into creamed butter mixture and stir just until dough is combined; fold in pecans. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and arrange on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Cool cookies slightly and roll in confectioners' sugar. Cool cookies completely and roll again in confectioners' sugar.

POLISH DILL PICKLES MADE IN A CROCK

Steps:

• Place ingredients in bottom of crock with cucumbers.
• Pour mixture (water, vinegar, salt) over cucumbers.
• Throw in a few more pieces of dill.
• Submerge pickles under water by placing a plate on top weighed down by a jar of water.
• When a film appears, just skim it off.
• Try tasting smaller pickles after 5 days.

DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• Combine the salt and water in a pitcher and stir until the salt has dissolved.
• Rinse the cucumbers thoroughly and snip off the blossom end stem. Set aside.
• Place the peppercorns, pepper flakes, garlic, dill seed and fresh dill into a 1-gallon crock. Add the cucumbers to the crock on top of the aromatics. Pour the brine mixture over the cucumbers in order to completely cover. Pour the remaining water into a 1-gallon ziptop plastic bag and seal. Place the bag on top of the pickles making sure that all of them are completely submerged in the brine. Set in a cool, dry place.
• Check the crock after 3 days. Fermentation has begun if you see bubbles rising to the top of the crock. After this, check the crock daily and skim off any scum that forms. If scum forms on the plastic bag, rinse it off and return to the top of the crock.
• The fermentation is complete when the pickles taste sour and the bubbles have stopped rising; this should take approximately 6 to 7 days. Once this happens, cover the crock loosely and place in the refrigerator for 3 days, skimming daily or as needed. Store for up to 2 months in the refrigerator, skimming as needed. If the pickles should become soft or begin to take on an off odor, this is a sign of spoilage and they should be discarded.

GRANDMA'S DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• Wash cucumbers using cloth and cold water.
• Drain, Place in large crock or pot.
• Mix 1 1/2 cups salt and 32 cups water to make 5% brine. If you need to, mix more in same proportions to cover cucumbers.
• Poor brine over cucumbers and let stand 24hrs, then drain.
• Wash and sterilize jars and lids. Keep jars in boiling hot water untill ready to use. Keep lids with seals in simmering (NOT BOILING)water untill ready to use.
• Combine Vinegar, 3/4 cups salt, sugar, and 9 cups water.
• Tie mixed pickeling spices in cheese cloth and add to vinegar, sugar, salt and water.
• Heat to boiling then discard cheese cloth.
• Pack cucumbers in clean HOT jars.
• Add 2 teaspoons mustard seed, alum, 1-2 garlic cloves, 3 heads dill or 1 tabelspoon dill seed to each jar.
• Cover with boiling water, filling jars 1/2" from top.
• Put seals and lids on, process in a canner. If you don't have a canner, you can cover the jars with BOILING water and place in your oven at 200F for about 20 minutes. The jars and liquid need to be hot in order for it to seal.

GRANDMA'S HOMEMADE MUSTARD PICKLES

Steps:

• Layer cucumbers, onions, and cauliflower in a large bowl, sprinkling salt on each layer. Cover with a towel and let sit until a decent amount of liquid had been drawn out of the vegetables, about 12 hours. Rinse vegetables and dry well.
• Combine vinegar and water in a medium pot; bring to a boil. Slowly add sugar, flour, mustard, ginger, and turmeric, stirring constantly. Boil for 5 minutes, then add vegetables and celery seed. Boil for another 5 minutes, no more.
• Meanwhile, inspect 6 pint-sized jars for cracks and rings for rust, discarding any defective ones. Immerse in simmering water until vegetables are is ready. Wash new, unused lids and rings in warm soapy water.
• Add vegetables and liquid to hot, sterilized jars, filling to within 1/2 inch of the top. Run a clean knife or thin spatula around the insides of the jars to remove any air bubbles. Wipe rims with a moist paper towel to remove any residue. Top with lids and screw rings on tightly.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil and lower jars 2 inches apart into the boiling water using a holder. Pour in more boiling water to cover jars by at least 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil, cover, and process for 5 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and let rest, several inches apart, for 12 to 24 hours. Press the center of each lid with a finger to ensure the lid does not move up or down. Remove the rings for storage and store in a cool, dark area.

OLD FASHIONED SWEET NINE DAY PICKLES

Steps:

• STEP ONE: Cut cucumbers in 1/2 inch pieces or a little larger and place in a crock or large glass container. Bring the soaking brine to a boil, pour over cut cucumbers, cover with a clean cloth and weigh down with a plate. Cover crock with a clean tea towel.
• Let stand three days.
• STEP TWO: Drain, put back in crock and cover with fresh water. There is no salt added to this.
• Let stand two days.
• STEP THREE: Drain and place back in crock.
• Bring the pickle solution with the alum to a boil and simmer two minutes pour over.
• Stand overnight.
• STEP FOUR: Drain and place back in crock. Make Sweet Pickle brine, bring to a boil and pour over. For three days drain this syrup into a large pot and bring to a boil. Pour back over the cucumber slices. The third day once again bring the syrup to a boil. Put pickles into sterilized jars, pour hot brine over and seal.
• I often replace some of the cucumber pieces with cauliflower chunks, making for a mixed sweet pickle.
• Makes about eight pints.

GRANDMA'S SPICY SWEET PICKLES

Steps:

• Slice cucumbers about 1/8 inch thick.
• Pour salt over cucumbers.
• Pour enough boiling water over all to cover.
• Stir and let stand 8 hours or overnight.
• Drain and discard brine.
• In a saucepan, combine vinegar, 1 cup sugar, spices and alum.
• Bring to a boil.
• Put cucumbers in a large glass jar or plastic bucket with lid or a stoneware crock.
• Pour boiling vinegar mixture over cucumbers.
• Cover and let stand.
• Next day, and each consecutive day for 5 days total, stir in one additional cup of sugar.
• Do not reheat when sugar is added.
• At the end of the 5th day, pickles are done and may be stored in covered jar.
• Do not seal jars.
• Pickles will keep indefinitely and get better with age.