Mustard Pickles, Questions

16 years ago

ReadingLady back in 06 posted this message about mustard pickles with recipe. I ran across it and the debate about using flour not to long ago and decided to try it. (Recipe posted below)

And now questions: (as always for me right?)

I can use other veggies right? What about broccoli? Carrots? What about more cucumbers and leave out the green tomatoes?

And what was the final consensus? Is using flour safe or is there something else I can use? There never was a final Linda Lou weigh in on this thread. I was thinking of using this as gifts for Christmas and would like to be sure it's OK safe.

And final question, did anyone make this (ReadingLady/Carol?) Was it great?

Two-Day Mustard Pickles

Yield: 5-6 Quarts

1 head cauliflower (about 1 1/2 quarts) broken into flowerets

1 quart small white onions, peeled

1 quart small cucumbers, sliced

1 quart small green tomatoes

2 large green peppers, chopped and seeded (2 cups)

2 large sweet red peppers, chopped and seeded (2 cups)

3 quarts cold water

1/2 cup pickling salt

2 quarts cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

2/3 cup flour

6 tablespoons prepared mustard

2 tablespoons turmeric

First Day: Prep vegetables, place in a large bowl and cover with a brine made of the water and salt. Cover and let sit for 24 hours.

Second Day: Drain salt solution, catching vegetables in a colander and solution in a saucepan. Heat solution to voiling and pour over the vegetables in the colander. Let vegetables drain; discard salt solution.

Combine vinegar, brown sugar, flour, mustard and turmeric. Stir, then heat gradually, stirring constantly until mixture is thick and smooth. Add drained vegetables and cook gently until tender but still retain individuality. Stir with heavy wooden spoon to prevent scorching.

Pack into clean, hot pint jars, leaving 1/2" headspace. Process BWB 15 minutes (20 minutes 1,001-6,000 feet; 25 minutes above 6,000 feet).

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/harvest/msg0808341028310.html

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Comments (5)

ksrogers
16 years ago
I have never used flour as a thickener in any home canning. It was used many years ago in small amounts, but is/was unsafe to use, even back then. A better thickener is the Clear Jel, which is designed for home canning of thickened foods. My recipe for mustard pickle included only cukes, cauliflower, onions, and a few sweet peppers. The mustard part had both yellow and brown mustard seeds. The brown type have more boldness. Another option for thickers is to use dried peppers as well as other dried veggies and these will soak up some of the liquid a bit.
readinglady
16 years ago
I wouldn't be surprised if Ball and Bernardin switch to ClearJel in the next edition. However, the current Ball Blue Book (2005) and the current Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving (mine is 2003) both offer mustard pickle recipes thickened with flour. Nobody is more stringent in their testing, so it appears flour is perfectly OK to use.

The Marrow 'n' Onion Mustard Pickles in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving uses ClearJel, so that's also a fine choice.

To answer your other question, you can replace the cauliflower, the onions, the peppers with different vegetables or you can shift things around, i.e. increase the cucumbers, decrease the cauliflower. Just make sure the total amount of low-acid veggies remains the same as in the original recipe.

Don't mess with the green tomatoes. They're high-acid and important to the safety of the pickle.

Carol
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Mustard Pickles Ball Blue Book 1 1/2 lbs 3-4" cucumbers, cut into 1/2" slices 1 quart green tomato wedges (about 6 medium) 3 Cups cauliflowerets (about 1 small head) 3 Cups chopped sweet green peppers (about 3 medium) 3 Cups chopped sweet red peppers (about 3 medium) 2 Cups peeled pickling onions 1 Cup canning salt 4 Quarts plus 1/2 cup water, divided 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 Cup flour 1 tablespoon turmeric 1/2 cup prepared mustard 5 cups vinegar Combine vegetables in large bowl. Dissolve salt in 4 quarts water. Pour salt water over vegetables, let stand 12 to 18 hours in a cool place. Drain, rinse and drain thoroughly. Combine sugar, flour, and turmeric in a large sauce-pot. Gradually add 1/2 cup water, stirring until smooth. Stir in mustard and vinegar. Cook until sauce coats spoon and mixture thickens. Add vegetables, simmer 15 minutes. Pack hot pickles and liquid into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head-space. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process pints and quarts 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Yield about 8 pints or 4 quarts. Now, to be honest, I copied this from a two year old post here in the Harvest Forum. It is exactly the same as my Ball Blue Book recipe. I used 3 sliced onions, 1 pound of peppers, 4.5 pounds of cucumbers,. Deborah
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OK, I'm up for it - I have a Starbucks vanilla latte sitting in front of me and our morning fog hasn't burned off yet so my garden chores are being delayed a little. But Joyce, I hope you'll pick up the copy of the Ball Blue Book still, and not be looking for recipes in places you may find them untested.... Mustard Pickles Ball Blue Book 1 1/2 lbs 3-4" cucumbers, cut into 1/2" slices 1 quart green tomato wedges (about 6 medium) 3 Cups cauliflowerets (about 1 small head) 3 Cups chopped sweet green peppers (about 3 medium) 3 Cups chopped sweet red peppers (about 3 medium) 2 Cups peeled pickling onions 1 Cup canning salt 4 Quarts plus 1/2 cup water, divided 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 Cup flour 1 tablespoon turmeric 1/2 cup prepared mustard 5 cups vinegar Combine vegetables in large bowl. Dissolve salt in 4 quarts water. Pour salt water over vegetables, let stand 12 to 18 hours in a cool place. Drain, rinse and drain thoroughly. Combine sugar, flour, and turmeric in a large sauce-pot. Gradually add 1/2 cup water, stirring until smooth. Stir in mustard and vinegar. Cook until sauce coats spoon and mixture thickens. Add vegetables, simmer 15 minutes. Pack hot pickles and liquid into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head-space. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process pints and quarts 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Yield about 8 pints or 4 quarts.
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Something like this? Senfgurken Mustard Pickles Total Time: 40 minutes Yield: 3 quarts Ingredients: Ã¢ÂÂ¢4 1/2 lb. pickling cucumbers Ã¢ÂÂ¢1 onion, sliced Ã¢ÂÂ¢Fresh dill weed Ã¢ÂÂ¢2 c. white wine vinegar Ã¢ÂÂ¢2 c. water Ã¢ÂÂ¢2 1/2 c. sugar Ã¢ÂÂ¢1 T. yellow mustard seed Ã¢ÂÂ¢6 juniper berries Ã¢ÂÂ¢1/2 tsp. whole coriander Ã¢ÂÂ¢1/2 tsp. whole black pepper Ã¢ÂÂ¢1/4 tsp. whole caraway Ã¢ÂÂ¢1/4 tsp. whole dill seed Ã¢ÂÂ¢1/2 tsp. whole allspice Ã¢ÂÂ¢1 crumbled bay leaf Ã¢ÂÂ¢4 cloves Ã¢ÂÂ¢1/8 tsp. powdered ginger Ã¢ÂÂ¢2 T. salt Preparation: Peel the cucumbers, cut in half, scrape out the seeds, then cut into 1/2 inch chunks. Layer them in clean, canning jars together with the fresh dill and the onion slices. Bring the remaining ingredients to a boil and cook for three minutes or until sugar and salt is dissolved. Pour the hot brine over the vegetables to 1/4 inch of the rim of the glass. Close immediately. Store in a cool spot or refrigerator. Note: Some people say that the pickles made this way (raw pack) keep for several months without further processing. As they cool, a vacuum creates a seal, much like cooking in a water bath. Generally, I prefer to process or can anything I do not want to refrigerate. If you want to can these pickles they will become softer but keep for months on the shelf. If you do not want to process further, keep them refrigerated and they should last for a couple of weeks. They are ready to eat after 24 hours but the flavors get stronger as they age. /tricia Here is a link that might be useful: Senfgurken
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apoem
Original Author
16 years ago
Really? I knew tomatoes were high acid (are!) but what if I don't put them in there. I really do not like green tomatoes and neither does anyone else I know. Is there any substitute? Any other options? Or am I just stuck?
And wow, that is a bunch of them... Can I possibly not use them and not can them and just eat all of this up right away?
readinglady
16 years ago
If you don't can it but just refrigerate the finished pickle, then you can pretty much do what you want.

I can't think of anything that would work in this kind of pickle to substitute for the green tomatoes, which are far more acid than ripe tomatoes. You might be surprised though. In a mixed pickle like this they have an entirely different identity. I've eaten a lot of green tomato chow-chows and other relishes. If you didn't know it was green tomato you'd think it was cucumber or something similar. Kind of like carrots in carrot cake. It's a whole other thing.

So with a refrigerator pickle you could sub any other veg because it's not being canned. You might try taking a small amount of the mixture to bottle separately and add some green tomato proportionate to the original amount just to see if you hate it as much as you think you do.
ksrogers
16 years ago
As mentioned, I didn't use any tomatoes or any other veggies in mine, other than what I listed. Acidity is controlled by the amount of vinegar used

Mustard Pickles, Questions

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Mustard Pickles, Questions

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ksrogers

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