Refreshment Recipe

Preserving food is one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen. It's a great way to save some money, and is a easy feed. I will be putting a few recipes for some different vegetables that can be preserved. Enjoy brethren. Salute.

Kosher Dill Pickles.

3 - 41L mason jars (haha)

5-6 English cucumbers

12 tbsp coarse kosher salt

4 bay leaves.

3 tbsp mustard seeds

8 sprigs fresh dill weed

16 cloves fresh garlic

3 cups white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

3 cups cold water

Put a pot of water on to boil. Make sure you fill enough so water line goes up to the neck of the jars. I will elaborate at the end as to why if your not sure. Put another pot on and boil the vinegar, water and salt. This is the brine liquid. Once its boiled and the salt has dissolved take off the heat. Wash and rinse jars. Quarter cucumbers, cut garlic in half. Wash dill weed. Once the water is boiling, put the jars in without the lids so they submerge. This is to sterilize the jars. Do this for ten minutes. Once they are out of the water bath and dry, put in each jar a tbsp of mustard seeds, 2 springs of dill, 6 garlic halves, and one bay leaf. It doesn't matter if the jars are hot from the sterilization process. Put the lids in the water bath to soften the seals. Proceed to pack in the cucumbers as much that will fit in the jar without breaking them. Pour in the brine up to the neck. Get a butter knife and move around in the jar to get any extra air bubbles out. Make sure this done, any air can cause the food in the jar to spoil, even if it is in a salty, acidic brine. Once the brine is in and the air bubbles are out, take the lids out from the water bath. They should boil for ten minutes to soften the seal. Put them on and tighten the band to finger tight, this means until the bands won't tighten and no continued force to tighten all the way. This will let the rest of the air out. Now once the bands are on put the jars into the water bath standing upright. Make sure the water line is up to the neck. This process pasteurizes the contents. This too will help force the remaining air out, but only if the bands are finger tight. Do this for ten minutes. After ten minutes take the jars out carefully, and cover with a dry cloth. Any air drafts can cause the jars to crack. The cooling process will also push the last remaining air out. Once they cool down, the lids should seal, about an hour, then tighten the bands very tight. The cucumbers take about two weeks to pickle.

Grilled zucchini

3 - 4 1L mason jars.

5-6 zucchini

24 cloves of garlic

4 whole, dried chili peppers

2L extra virgin olive oil

4 bay leaves

8 leaves of fresh basil

Salt and pepper

Follow the cleaning and sterilizing procedure from the pickle recipe. Make sure you have a pot on to boil with enough water. Turn your BBQ or grill on to high heat. Quarter zucchini, season with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill so char marks are visible. Put in a container to hold and seran wrap. This will gently heat through the zucchini and cook it further. Leave out at room temp. Put on the 2L of olive oil with the garlic in with it. Set the heat to medium low, and slowly cook the garlic in the oil. This is called confit. The garlic is cooked when its wrinkly and floating in the oil. Make sure the oil doesn't smoke or you will have to start over. Once the garlic is cooked take oil off the heat and set a side. Put the lids in the water bath for ten min. When jars are ready, evenly split the garlic between the jars, don't put any oil in yet. Place one chili, 2 leaves of basil and one bay leaf in per jar. Pack in zucchini as much as you can without breaking them. Funnel in the oil, and remove air bubbles with a butter knife. Put on lids, put on bands to finger tight and boil for ten min. After the ten min, cool with dry clothes over the jars to prevent cracking. Tighten bands. These are ready to eat at anytime.

Sweet picked onions.

3-4 mason jars

4 red onions

5 cups of white sugar

5 cups of white wine vinegar

2 tbsp coarse kosher salt.

Wash and sterilize jars as you did in the previous recipes. Put on a pot of water to boil, and make sure there is enough water. Once jars are sterlized and out put in the lids to soften the seal. Peel and cut onions into 1/2 inch rings. Bring sugar, vinegar and salt to a boil. Do not stir, or the sugar will crystallize. Boil for 5 min to dissolve the sugar, and keep hot. Pack the onion rings into the jars, as much as they will fit, without breaking. Pour in the brine, and remove extra air bubbles with a butter knife. Put on lids and tighten the bands to finger tight. Boil jars for ten min to pasteurize. Make sure the water is up to the neck of the jars. Once cooled and the jars are sealed, tighten the bands really tight. These take 2 hrs to pickle, they're ready by the time they cool to room temp.

*before putting on the lids, make sure where you put them on is free from any oil or moisture. This will prevent the jars from not sealing properly. any leftover brine or oil can be saved to use again if your jarring or canning. Brine should be stored in the fridge, oil can stay out but make sure it's in a air tight container. Both have to be reheated before using. Brine can last a long time in the fridge, oil should be used within 2 weeks*

I personally like using these in antipasto dishes or hors d'oeuvres.
Enjoy brethren. Salute.

Hey how about Sunday sugo with assobuco oh yeah!!!!!!!!

With some Rapini and cicoria dude come on more wap than that we cant be !!!!!!! hahaha

Lol I can't give all my secrets.

I will learn a lot of you're recipes, Brother Widow. Their'e is some tasty spices, in you're recipes.

Great stuff, Brother... I recently joined the kitchen staff at the Scottish Rite temple, and will be taking a turn in the South next year... There are some big shoes (and expectant brethren) to fill, so we're always looking to improve on the cuisine ;-)

Besides, it's fun!

It's the best fun.

Brother Widow, you're recipes are very unique. Can you please help me with the recipes please?

Pscyclepath said:

Great stuff, Brother... I recently joined the kitchen staff at the Scottish Rite temple, and will be taking a turn in the South next year... There are some big shoes (and expectant brethren) to fill, so we're always looking to improve on the cuisine ;-)

Besides, it's fun!

Click to expand...

Shucks! You're to far off. We could use a few more cooks down here in the Houston SCCR area.

Valleys run on full stomachs you know :thumbup1:

THurse what are you having trouble with?

Brother Widow. I have come to the conclusion that, you may have a lot of different ingredients but really you only need a few. to work with and you can take on more ingredients to better the taste. To many can leave sour taste, unless you know what to use and what not to use.

That's right. There are a few things to know about preserving. Salt, vinegar, sugar and oil are all things that keep air and bacteria at bay. The ratios between salt, vinegar, water and sugar need to be accurate, otherwise you'll have room for bacteria growth, if you don't have enough of either ingredient whatever your pickling won't pickle, or you'll just have a horrible flavor. Oil too can preserve, but in the right conditions can harbor and promote bacterial growth. Alway heat it up to a slow boil. Oil takes longer to cool than a water based liquid, so you can heat it and put it to the side. You can also use oil preserve without having to seal jars. This is known as fridge preserves. When you put olive oil in the fridge it conceals, further preventing air penetration. All these preserving liquids need to be boiled before jarring. Be sure to let it cool down a bit before jarring, otherwise you will cook whatever it is your pickling.

Timing is also another key to successful canning. The more you do it, the easier it gets, but here are a few tips. The first thing you should do is put on a pot big enough to boil the amount of jars you wish to process. I usually fill it about 3/4 the way and have a smaller pot on in the back just in case. Also have a pitcher on hand in case water level gets to high. Have all your food items cut, measured, boiled and ready to go. As soon as you take out the jars for the first boil to sterilize, put in the caps, not the bands. The bands tighten the caps once the air is out. The caps shouldn't be in the water for more than ten min, the seals will start to deteriorate after prolonged heat exposure.l, so work quick, within the time the caps are boiling. Again heating up the caps loosens the sticky rubber seal under the cap. These can be reused at least 3 or 4 times. The jar can be used forever. When you are done packing in what you wish to preserve, have a funnel to pour in the brine or oil and stick a chop stick or butter knife in the jar on all sides, and wiggle to make sure extra air bubble are released. Air equals potential bacterial growth. Using a funnel to pour in the liquid ensures a clean seal, if there is any spillage on the jar rim, and not cleaned, the jar won't seal. Always give it a good wipe, with a damp paper towel, then a wipe with a dry one. When its time to process, put the caps on then the bands to finger tight. Again this means screwing the bands on until you feel the least amount of resistance stopping you from turning. This will make sure the air can have a way out, if its tightened all the way no air can escape and can actually burst the jar from the pressure. Bad idea if you like your face and chest. When you put the jar in the water to pasteurize, make sure the water line is up to the neck. This just ensures even heat distribution. After a ten min boil, take them out carefully. The jars are very hot, and too fast can cause an air draft and can shatter the jar. Again, bad idea if you like your feet. Cover them with a dry cloth to prevent any air flow. As they further cool all the remaining air will be pushed out. When you push down on the cap and it doesn't pop up and down, it's sealed. That when you tighten the bands really tight. Raw vegetables in a brine take some time to pickle. Whole cucumbers will takes 3-4 weeks, where quarter cut ones will pickle in a week to two weeks depending on how strong your brine is. Pickled eggs take a 3-4 weeks also. Cooked vegetables in oil are good whenever to eat. If you boys got any question feel free to ask.

I got it Brother Widow, in over expanding the ingredients, without proper measurements, will not preserve properly, but following the correct measurements, you could still have enough to last a very long time and in repetition you can expand, preserve and store a wonderful quality of taste, that will last. First, 3 to 4, but if you have strong jars that last from being made strongly, you can then use the ingredients, to start a new batch a lot easier, to preserve and to keep going within production.