A Traditional Farm Life
By Shasta Hamilton
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Greetings from Enterprise, dear friends! My daughters triumphantly ushered in the
first red, ripe tomato from the girl’s garden this morning. It was a mere 2 inches in diameter, so
everyone present had to be satisfied with a thin slice of the first fruits of
high summer.
The current abundance of cucumbers in the garden brings
back to mind the joy of making pickles.
Since I’ll be teaching some folks on Saturday about canning pickles, a
practice run after a two-year hiatus from pickling seemed in order.
As a result, Thursday we took a “refresher course,” and
got out the water bath canner, found the jars, lids, bands and assorted
paraphernalia, and set to work. It was
with the fond recollections inspired by a visit from an old friend that I
washed up those familiar canning utensils for use once more.
The last summer I actively canned was 2013, as summer
2014 was consumed by our baking for the Abilene Farmer’s Market. According to our records, that summer we
canned over 100 quarts of assorted pickles, 119 quarts of tomato products, 36
quarts of apple pie filling, plus 27 pints of “Mockberry Jam”—an unusual spread
for bread composed of blended tomatoes, strawberry gelatin, and sugar.
I don’t expect we will duplicate our “personal best”
canning record of 2013 anytime soon, as the restaurant requires so much of our
time these days. Looking back, the more
than 250 jars we processed seems a pretty amazing feat, but it was the end
result of four months of canning several days a week—one canner load at a
time.
After all the washing, cutting, packing, and canning were
over Thursday afternoon it was a delight to see those perpendicular pickle
spears in the jars—even if there were only 4 quart this time around.
The following Kosher Dill Pickle recipe comes from an old
Better Homes and Gardens Home Canning Cookbook. I’ve added additional
instructions for folks these days not as familiar with the water bath canning
process.
With no brining involved, Kosher Dills are great first
pickling project. There are several tips
we’ve picked up over the years to help make sure your finished pickles are
crisp rather than soft.
First, make sure your cucumbers are as fresh as possible.
We like to pick in the morning and
pickle in the afternoon. If you don’t
have your own garden, Farmer’s Market cucumbers will probably have been picked
the day of the market, so pickling the next day should be just fine.
Second, be sure to trim a thin slice off the blossom end
of the cucumber. This step removes an
enzyme that causes soft pickles.
Third, do not over process the pickles, which cooks them
and—understandably--softens them.
Historically, pickles were fermented naturally in cellars
without any heat processing at all. In
time, many were done by the ”open kettle” method, meaning the cucumbers, dill,
spices, etc. were packed in the jars, a boiling brine poured over, and one at a
time the jars were closed and left to seal at room temperature.
The next progression was a 5-minute processing time in a
boiling water bath. The process was just
like the “open kettle” method,” but the closed jars were placed in rapidly
boiling water, covered, and processed for 5 minutes before removal to cool and
seal. Although this method is still
widely used in rural communities today, it no longer conforms to modern recommendations.
Personally, I find it interesting to note that over the
years “official” canning sources like “The Ball Blue Book” have gradually increased
the processing time from 5, to 10, then 15 minutes. These days, a processing
time of 15 or even 20 minutes is often recommended for pickles.
If you’d like more information on current recommendations
for home canning, please give Chelsi Myer at the Dickinson County K-State
Research and Extension Office a call. As
a family we have benefited much over the years from K-State Extension
literature.
Kosher Dill
Pickles
2-1/2 lbs.
pickling cucumbers
(3 to 4 inches long)
--larger cukes may be cut into spears
10 heads fresh
dill
(or 2-1/2 tablespoons dill seed)
5 large garlic
cloves
5 tablespoons
pickling salt
5 hot peppers
(optional)
1 quart (5%
acidity) apple cider
vinegar
(do not use apple flavored vinegar)
3 quarts water
1. Check 5
wide-mouth canning jars for cracks or nicks on sealing surface; wash in hot,
soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Wash
ring bands as well. Sterilize jar lids
according to package directions, or by pouring boiling water over lids in a
heat-proof container.
2. Fill water bath
canner about 2/3 full, cover, and begin heating on high heat.
3. Thoroughly
rinse the cucumbers. Remove stems and
cut off a very thin slice from the blossom end.
4. In a large pot,
combine the vinegar and water; bring to a boil.
5. Place 2 heads
dill (or 1/2 tablespoon dill seed), 1 clove garlic (peeled), and 1 tablespoon
salt in the bottom of each jar.
6. Tightly pack
cucumbers into the jars, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace at the top of the
jar. (For larger cucumbers, slice into
spears and pack vertically.)
7. Ladle hot brine
over cucumbers, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace.
Wipe rim clean with damp paper towel.
Place lid on top, and screw band on fingertip tight. Place jars in rapidly boiling water with 1 to
2-inches above the jar lid. (Add boiling
water if necessary.) Cover and process
15 minutes. Carefully remove from
boiling water and place jars upright 2 or 3 inches apart on a thick, dry towel,
away from drafts. Let cool undisturbed
12-24 hours. When cool, test seals, wipe
jars clean, and store. For best taste,
let stand at least one week before serving.
Copyright © 2015 by Shasta Hamilton
Shasta is a fifth generation rural Kansan now residing
in Enterprise, Kansas. She and her
husband own and operate The Buggy Stop Home-Style Kitchen with their six
home-schooled children. You can reach
The Buggy Stop by calling (785) 200-6385 or visit them on the web at www.thebuggystoprestaurant.com.
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