Pickled Red Onions

While on my pickling kick (along with cucumbers and green beans) I decided I'd like to try pickled red onions - very easy to do and I love them! You can add to sandwiches, chop up in chicken or tuna salad, put on salads or tacos, or just eat straight out of the jar hahahaha. Since I've never done it, and because Dave will not eat them, I didn't want to make too many jars for my first time - I found a small batch recipe and just made 2 small 8 ounce jars of them and I'm wishing I would have made more! Who cares if I have to eat them all by myself - I'm up for that challenge ;)

I changed the recipe a bit so am just going to tell you what I did:

• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced 
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 T. pickling salt
• 1 T. pickling spices (you can omit this, or add peppercorns or other spices)

                           

Follow standard canning methods, there is tons of info online for how to can - here's a couple basic things to know: 

*you want the jars sterilized and hot, either by running them in the dishwasher before starting to can (leave them in the hot dishwasher after the load has stopped so they stay warm) or immerse them in a large pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. I do this right in my big canning pot since you'll also need a hot water bath for processing the jars. 

*put the canning lids into a small saucepan with water and bring up to almost a boil. Turn off and leave covered so they are hot when time to seal the filled jars. 

*have a funnel, ladle, and a wet paper towel handy for filling the jars. 

1. Dissolve the vinegar, sugar and salt in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.

2. Add the onions and pickling spices or other spices if you're using to the saucepan and simmer on low for 5 minutes uncovered. Remove from heat. 

3. Using clean tongs, pack the onions into each jar. Add the spices from the pan if you're using.

4. Using a ladle, fill the space around the onions with the pickling brine, leaving about 1/2 inch head space.

5. Wipe the rim with a wet paper towel so it's clean, then add a lid from the hot water in the small saucepan. Screw in place with a ring.

6. Process for 10 minutes submerged in the large pot of hot water, make sure there's about an inch of water over top of the jars. Remove carefully with long tongs and set on the counter or a rack to cool - you'll know the jars have sealed when you hear my favorite canning sound, it's sort of a 'ping' or a popping sound. Cool completely.

Store for up to 1 year, once opened store in the fridge for up to a month. 

Pickled Green Beans

My sister went with Ronda to her parent's house to make dilly beans a few weeks ago and she brought home a couple jars - and they are so so delicious we wanted to make more on our own...but do you think we could find a time to get together and make them? So I woke up this morning and decided to attempt it on my own! I don't have Ronda's family recipe but I googled and got tons of ideas, I went with this one but changed it a bit - I'll give you the original recipe and then my notes below. 

2 1/2 pounds fresh string beans
2 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
2 cups water
1/4 cup salt
1/2 pound garlic cloves, peeled
1 bunch fresh dill weed
1 pound small spicy red peppers
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

Sterilize 6 half-pint jars with rings and lids and keep hot. Cut string beans to 1/4 inch shorter than your jars.

In a large saucepan, stir together the vinegar, water, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. In each jar, place 1 garlic clove, 1 sprig of dill, 2 red peppers, and 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Pack string beans into the jars so the are standing on their ends.

Ladle the boiling brine into the jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the tops. Wipe top rim of the jar so no moisture gets captured under the lid. Seal the jars with lids and rings. Place in a hot water bath so the jars are covered by 1 inch of water. Simmer but do not boil (approximately 180 degrees) for 10 minutes to process. Remove from the pot. Cool to room temperature. Tests jars for a good seal by pressing on the center of the lid. It should not move. When jars are cooled you should hear a "pop" to signal the lids are sealed. Refrigerate any jars that do not seal properly. Let pickles ferment for 2 to 3 weeks before eating.

notes: 

*I bought a 2 pound bag of beans and made the brine according to the directions and didn't have enough so had to make more. Because the original brine cooled down while making the additional, I dumped what liquid I had poured over the beans in the jars back into the pan so it would all be hot at the same time. 

*I couldn't find small spicy red peppers so omitted them. 

*I put 2 garlic cloves in each jar, along with the fresh dill, a pinch of mustard seeds, and the red pepper flakes. I read somewhere to lay the jars on their sides and lay the dill along one side before adding the beans - it looks pretty in the jar that way instead of laying at the bottom. 

*I got 3 (12 ounce) jars and 3 (8 ounce) jars from 2 pounds of beans.

original recipe from 'The Book of Doing' by Allison Arden