Author: Sue Mosbacher

Zucchini Pickles

Pickled Baby Carrots

Zucchini-Pineapple

Yield: About 8 pints
5 lbs. medium zucchini cut into ¼” thick slices
2 lbs. mild white onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup salt
Ice water
4 cups cider vinegar (5%)
2 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons mustard seeds
1 Tablespoon each: celery seeds and ground turmeric
2 teaspoon ground ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
Place zucchini, onions, and salt in a large kettle; cover with ice water and let stand for 1 to 2 hours.
Drain, rinse well and drain again.
In large kettle mix vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, turmeric, ginger, and garlic. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir in zucchini mixture, return to a boil and boil for 2 more minutes.
Pack hot mixture into hot pint jars, leaving ½” headspace.
Remove air bubbles. Wipe the rims clean. Place lids and rings on jars, tightening rings finger tight.
Process in a boiling water or steam canner for 10 minutes below 1000’, 15 minutes between 1000-6000’, or 20 minutes above 6000’
Source: Pickles, Relishes and Chutneys UC Publication #4080

Yield: About 4 pints
8½ cups peeled baby carrots
5½ cups white distilled vinegar (5%)
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons canning salt
8 teaspoons mustard seed
4 teaspoons celery seed
Wash and rinse pint canning jars; keep hot until ready to use. Prepare lids and bands according to manufacturer's directions.
Wash carrots well and peel, if necessary. Wash again after peeling.
Combine vinegar, water, sugar and canning salt in an 8-quart Dutch oven or stockpot. Bring to a boil and boil gently 3 minutes. Add carrots and bring back to a boil. Then reduce heat to a simmer and heat until the carrots are half-cooked (about 10 minutes).
Meanwhile, place 2 teaspoons mustard seed and 1 teaspoon celery seed in the bottom of each clean, hot pint jar.
Fill hot jars with the hot carrots, leaving 1” headspace. Cover with hot pickling liquid, leaving ½” headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rims clean. Place lids and rings on jars, tightening rings finger tight
Process in a boiling water or steam canner for 15 minutes below 1000’, 20 minutes between 1000-6000’, or 25 minutes above 6000’.
Source: National Center for Home Food Preservation, 2015

And a surprise sweet non-pickle treat that is a great way to use the large caveman club end-of-summer zucchini anywhere you would use cubed or crushed pineapple ….
Yield: About 8 to 9 pints
4 qts cubed or shredded zucchini
1½ cups bottled lemon juice
46 oz canned unsweetened pineapple juice
3 cups sugar
Peel zucchini and either cut into ½-inch cubes or shred.
Mix zucchini with other ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
Simmer 20 minutes.
Fill jars with hot mixture and cooking liquid, leaving ½” headspace. Remove air bubbles and add additional hot liquid if necessary to retain ½” headspace.
Adjust lids and Process in a boiling water or steam canner for 15 minutes below 1000’, 20 minutes between 1000-6000’, or 25 minutes above 6000’.
Source: USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, 2015

Pickles!

Canning Processes

Pickled Beets

Pickled Dill Beans

A pickle is any fruit, vegetable, egg or meat preserved in vinegar or brine.
Vinegar
The vinegar in a pickled product is as important to its safety as it is to taste and texture. When pickling, always use high-quality commercial vinegars with at least 5% acidity. The acidity should be listed on the label; if not, assume it is not 5%.
Do not alter vinegar, food, or water proportions in a recipe or use a vinegar with unknown acidity. Doing so may undermine the safety of the product.
Salt
Use canning or pickling salt. Table salt contains anti-caking ingredients which can cloud the brine.
Recipe
Use a current, reputable recipe. Grandma’s recipe may not use the correct proportions of water and vinegar, or may have assumed a higher level of acidity in the vinegar.
Adjusting for Altitude
At sea level, water boils at 212o F. All recipes are developed using sea level as the criteria for processing times. At higher altitudes water boils at a lower temperature. If you are at an altitude higher than 1000’, adjust the processing times using the chart below if no specific times are given in the recipe.

Altitude in feet	Increase processing time
1000 - 3000	5 minutes
3001 - 6000	10 minutes
6001 - 8000	15 minutes
8001 – 10,000	20 minutes

Boiling Water Canner Processing Highlights
Place jars on a rack on the bottom of the canner.
Add enough very hot (but not boiling) water to cover the jars by at least 1 inch.
Place lid on canner and bring water to rolling boil, then reduce heat to a gentle boil.
Begin counting process time when the water starts to boil. Be sure to add time for altitude, if necessary. If the water stops boiling, return to a boil and restart timing.
At the end of the process time, turn off the heat, remove the canner lid, and wait no more than five minutes before removing jars.
Remove the jars from the canner by lifting them upright and placing them on a folded towel.
Leave the jars alone until they have cooled thoroughly (approximately 24 hours).
If a jar didn’t seal, refrigerate and use the product within a few days.
Steam Canner Processing Highlights
Use recipes for a boiling water canner.
Add hot (not boiling) water to cover the rack.
Load jars onto rack and place lid on canner base.
Turn heat to high and boil water until a steady column of steam (6-8 inches) appears from the vent hole(s) in the canner lid. Jars must be processed in pure steam environment.
If canner has a temperature sensor, begin processing time when the marker is in the green zone for your altitude. If using a canner without a temperature sensor, begin processing time when a steady stream of steam is visible from the vent hole(s). Processing time is limited to 45 minutes or less, including any modification for elevation.
Monitor the temperature sensor and/or steady stream of steam during the entire timed process. Regulate heat so that the canner maintains a temperature of 212°F. A canner that is boiling too vigorously can boil dry within 20 minutes. If a canner boils dry, the food is considered under-processed and therefore potentially unsafe.
At the end of the processing time, turn off the heat, wait 2-3 minutes and remove the lid.
Remove the jars and place them on a towel and leave them alone for 24 hours.

Yield: About 8 pints
7 lbs of 2-2½” diameter beets
4 cups vinegar (5%)
1½ teaspoons canning or pickling salt
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
12 whole cloves
4 to 6 onions (2-2½” diameter) if desired
Trim off beet tops, leaving 1 inch of stem and roots to prevent bleeding of color. Wash thoroughly. Sort for size.
Cover similar sizes together with boiling water and cook until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Caution: Drain and discard liquid. Cool beets.
Trim off roots and stems and slip off skins.
Slice into ¼” slices. Peel and thinly slice onions.
Combine vinegar, salt, sugar, and fresh water. Put spices in cheesecloth bag and add to vinegar mixture. Bring to a boil.
Add beets and onions. Simmer 5 minutes.
Remove spice bag.
Fill jars with beets and onions, leaving ½ inch headspace. Add hot vinegar solution, allowing ½” headspace. Adjust lids.
Process in a boiling water or steam canner for 30 minutes under 1000’, 35 minutes at 1001-3000’, 40 minutes at 3001-6000’, or 45 minutes above 6000’.
Source: USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, 2015

Yield: About 8 pints
4 lbs fresh tender green or yellow beans (5-6” long)
8 to 16 heads fresh dill
8 cloves garlic (optional)
½ cup canning or pickling salt
4 cups white vinegar (5%)
4 cups water
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional)
Wash and trim ends from beans and cut to 4-inch lengths.
In each sterile pint jar, place 1 to 2 dill heads and, if desired, 1 clove of garlic. Place whole beans upright in jars, leaving ½” headspace. Trim beans to ensure proper fit, if necessary.
Combine salt, vinegar water, and pepper flakes (if desired). Bring to a boil.
Add hot solution to beans, leaving ½” headspace.
Adjust lids and process in a boiling water or steam canner for 5 minutes under 1000’, 10 minutes at 1001-3000’, 15 minutes at 3001-6000’, or 20 minutes above 6000’.
Source: USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, 2015

Colorful Pickles and more ...
UCCE Master Food Preservers of Central Sierra
http://ucanr.edu/mfpcs
530-621-5502