Best Sour Pickles

This summer I was on a quest to make the BEST Sour Pickles ever. I already knew in order to achieve this I'd need the freshest pickling cucumbers, so I sought out my local farmers market and farmer and quickly purchased a bag full of crispy, firm pickling cucumbers. If you are not near a farmers market, buy the firmest pickling cucumbers you can from your local grocery store.

Now normally you would not think of sour pickles containing pickling spice, but trust me when I tell you the pickling spice, and the salt soak, is what made these turn out so well ... so do not skip it, unless you want limpy pickles and no one wants those.

What do you need to make Sour Pickles?

• Pickling cucumbers
• Pickling salt
  
• Whole peppercorns
• Yellow mustard seeds
• Whole allspice
• Stick cinnamon
• Water
• Vinegar

RECIPE
Ingredients
For the pickling spice
3 tbsp whole black peppercorns
3 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
4 tsp whole allspice
1 cinnamon stick, crumbled

For the sour pickles
3 3/4 - 4 pounds pickling cucumbers
1/3 cup pickling salt, plus 1 tsp for the pickling liquid
2 1/2 cups distilled white or apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp pickling spice (see above, or use store-bought)
Fresh dill and garlic (optional)

For the pickling spice: blend 3 tablespoons whole black peppercorns, 3 tablespoons of yellow mustard seeds, 4 teaspoons of allspice and 1 cinnamon stick, crumbled. Makes 1/2 cup (store remaining pickling spice in a mason jar for use another time).

On the first day:
Trim blossom ends from cucumbers and cut lengthwise into quarters or halves. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with pickling salt. Cover with cold water and mix to dissolve the salt. Place a small plate inside the bowl on top of the cucumbers to keep them submerged. Let stand at cool room temperature or in the refrigerator for 18 hours.

On the second day:
Drain cucumbers, rinse, and drain again. Bring vinegar, water, and 1 tsp pickling salt to a boil. Put pickling spice in a spice bag and simmer in the pickling liquid for 5 minutes. Remove before filling jars.

Fill your canning jars (pints or quarts) with the cucumber spears (It helps to lay the jar on the side and fill the edges first, then the center; this keeps the cucumbers from falling over.) If desired, add 2 cloves garlic and 2 or 3 sprigs of dill (or 1 tsp dried dill weed or seed to each jar). 

Pour brine over top of cucumbers leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Slide a plastic knife between cucumbers and jar to remove air bubbles adjusting brine as needed to maintain 1/2-inch headspace.

Wipe rim and threads of jar with a clean, damp cloth. Cover jars with lids and bands. 

Process pints and quarts 15 minutes in a boiling water bath or steam canner.

Remove jars from canner and set them upright on a dry towel or rack to cool. Let jars cool for 24 hours. Jars are sealed when button on top of the lid is fully depressed and won't flex up or down.

Store in pantry for up to one year. Open jars must be refrigerated.

Cook's note - For best results let sit for 4 weeks before opening a jar to allow all the flavors to meld together.

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Veggie Cream Cheese {100 Days of Real Food: Fast and Fabulous Cookbook Review}

It's a great honor for me to be a "Cookbook Ambassador" for Lisa Leake of 100 Days of Real Food because I support, applaud and embrace her passion for real food ... it's what I try to live by too! Learning about "real food" is the very reason why I support local farms and markets, buy grass-fed pastured meats, avoid processed foods, cook from scratch, and use other wholesome ingredients in my recipes.

When I first found out Lisa was looking for cookbook ambassadors for the launch of her new cookbook, 100 Days of Real Food: Fast and Fabulous, I was eager to apply ... yes, apply! I had to submit my information, and my blog for review, before being chosen. You can only imagine how excited I was when I received this email which in part said: "Thank you so much for your interest in being one of my Cookbook Ambassadors! I've reviewed everyone's applications and would love for you to be part of the group. Words cannot express how much I appreciate your excitement around my book - this whole process wouldn't be nearly as much fun if I didn't have others to share it with!" Whoo Hoo!!!  I was doing the happy dance all around the house.

And so began the days waiting to receive my signed copy of her cookbook 100 Days of Real Food: Fast and Fabulous and once again reviewing (because I had already read this numerous times) the about section on her website and her eye-opening journey which was not always easy.

"Whether you’re brand new to cutting out processed food or you’re a real food veteran, I hope you’ll find some value in the resources on this blog. In the beginning of 2010 I had never before read an ingredient label, never bought anything that was organic (at least not on purpose), nor had I ever stepped foot in a farmers’ market. I am certainly not proud of those things, but that was reality for the first 32 or so years of my life and the most disturbing part is that I had no idea I was doing anything wrong.

After reading In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan I got the wake up call of my life and felt like our eating habits needed a serious overhaul. Making such drastic changes was not easy at first (it has thankfully become our “new normal” since then), and at the time I struggled to find resources to help me understand exactly how I could apply Pollan’s principles to our everyday lives."

But what exactly is "Real Food?" 

And what will you get in her cookbook?  

100 Days of Real Food: Fast & Fabulous gives Lisa's devoted fans and newcomers exactly what they want, quick and tasty favorites for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and even snacks that are a snap to make. Inside you ll find recipes sure to please everyone, from Cinnamon Raisin Scones, Couscous and Tomato Salad, and Corn Muffins to Citrus Salad With Crispy Quinoa, Honeydew Green Smoothie, and Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup to Easy Fish Tacos, Parmesan Crusted Chicken, and Chocolate Banana Pops. While some dishes are blog favorites, seventy-five percent are brand new.

Cinnamon Glazed Bananas

Along with these family-friendly recipes, 100 Days of Real Food: Fast & Fabulous incorporates ideas for adult, big-kid, and little-kid packed lunches and new seasonal meal plans and shopping lists everything you need for accessible, quick, and real home cooking. Lisa also includes a CliffsNotes -style resource section packed with easy guidelines on how to buy real food, supermarket staples (including her Top 10 Shopping Lists by Store), the truth behind more than a dozen grocery store myths, and other handy kitchen tips (such as food prep guides and storage cheat sheets).

Asian Noodle Salad

Making and enjoying healthy meals the whole family will love doesn't have to be difficult, boring, or expensive. With this essential cookbook, illustrated with color photos for every single recipe, you ll see just how fast and fabulous good home-cooked meals can be.

But now let's get to the recipe! I deliberately chose one very easy to do and extremely versatile. Use as a sandwich spread, make cute little appetizer bites, serve as a dip with fresh veggies or crackers, or top on toasted bagels. So darn good, and easy ... really easy to make. Naturally I purchased the products I used from one of my favorite local produce markets, Camden City Market, who always has the best local veggies, and the 9 grain bread is baked fresh daily at Mulberry Market Bake Shop.

RECIPE
Ingredients
1 carrot, peeled and cut into large chunks
1/4 cucumber, skin on, cut into large chunks
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 green onion, white and green parts, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature

Method
In the food processor, combine everything but the cream cheese and pulse until finely chopped.

Drop the cream cheese into the veggie mix and pulse until well combined.

Serve or store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Enjoy,

Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Fresh pickling cucumbers and just a few other ingredients make these Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles.

The most important part of the recipe is the pickling cucumbers. They’re short, small, and firm, but they make deliciously crisp pickles. Don’t be tempted to substitute another kind of cucumber or you’ll end up with soggy pickles.

When I purchased these pickling cucumbers at the Kershaw County Farmer's Market, I knew I wanted to get them pickled while they were still at their peak of freshness.

Ingredients
1-1/4 cups distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)
3 tbls. salt
2 tbls. sugar
2 cups cold water
1-3/4 to 2 pounds pickling cucumbers (about 6), cut into halves or spears
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tbls. dried dill weed

Method
Combine the vinegar, salt and sugar in a small non-reactive saucepan (such as stainless steel) over high heat. Whisk until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Transfer the liquid into a bowl and whisk in the cold water. Refrigerate brine until ready to use.

Stuff the cucumbers into clean 1 quart jars. Add the garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, dill, and chilled brine into jars, dividing evenly. Be sure the brine covers the cucumbers; add a little water if necessary.

Cover and refrigerate about 24 - 48 hours, then serve. Cucumbers will keep in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Cooks note - wait 48 hours for best flavor!

Enjoy,

Mary

Crispy Dill Pickles

Pickles are just great, aren't they? They go well with just about anything, but I think they are really good with a grilled burger or a homemade deli sandwich.

For the best crispy pickles, I use Ball Pickle Crisp Granules. This helps keep the pickles crisp when canning, and it's very easy to add to almost any pickle recipe.

What is pickle crisp?  It's calcium chloride. For those of us who like to make our own pickles, relish or anything that has that long, frustrating, pre-soaking process involving pickling lime, there is a simple solution.  Pickling crisp!!

For those of you who do not know what the pickling lime process is and are interested in making/canning your own pickles, pickling lime is a product you buy and is required in most recipes that require pickling and helps improve the firmness by adding calcium that reinforces the pectin in the vegetable being pickled.

For example, using cucumbers, you would mix the pickling lime in water according to the package directions and let it soak for a full day (if not longer) rinsing at min of 3 times.  You will have to soak and rinse repeatedly until the water is clear.  Lime is alkaline so you have to make sure to get rid of all of it in the rinses process or it will reduce the acidity that you will use to pickle your vegetable with.  When you have alkalinity it reduces the Ph as well which neutralizes the acidity and can lead to botulism.  For this very reason, it is not recommended to use pickling lime any longer.  It can be a pain in the rear anyway, especially in today’s society where we are always so busy and don’t have time to rinse the vegetables a bunch of times.

That leads us to pickling crisp!  It replaces pickling lime, which home picklers have long used to firm cucumbers into pickles .

Calcium chloride aka pickle crisp is easier to use: you add 1/8 teaspoon along with the fruit or vegetable pieces and the pickling liquid to a pint jar, or 1/4 teaspoon to a quart jar and voila!  Your done!  No long soaking and rinsing process to deal with, thank goodness.

I really like crisp dill pickles, and this recipe produces exactly that, crisp pickle spears just like those you can buy in the grocery store, only better because you control what's in them.

Pickles take minutes to make, and only process only 10-15 minutes in a boiling water bath. It's one of the best ways to preserve those summer cucumbers so you have them to enjoy whenever you want some.

Ingredients
1-2 large organic cucumbers or 10 small pickling cucumbers, blossom end removed and sliced into spears
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. pickle crisp
1 tsp. dried dill
1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 cup water
1 tbls. pickling and canning salt

Method
Bring vinegar, water and salt to a boil in a small saucepan.

Meanwhile, cut cucumbers into spears. Place all other ingredients in a quart canning jar (or divide between 2 pint canning jars).  Add cucumber spears, packing jars fairly tightly.

Carefully pour hot liquid mixture over the cucumber spears in jar, leaving 1/2" head-space.

Process in boiling water bath 10 minutes for pints and 15 minutes for quarts.

Remove jars and allow to cool undisturbed on your kitchen counter-top 24 hours.

Sealed jars can be stored in a pantry up to one year. Pickles are BEST if you wait about 4 weeks until you open a jar so the flavors can develop.

Yield:  1 quart or 2 pints

Cook's note - recipe is easily doubled.

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Bavarian Potato Salad

Oh I'd been searching and searching for a good Bavarian Potato Salad. One that would remind us of the years we were stationed in Germany, and enjoyed all kinds of German delicacies.

This Bavarian Potato Salad is one to enjoy year 'round! It pairs perfectly with a variety of pork dishes, but is equally good served with Brats or hot dogs, and grilled or roasted chicken.

I finally found one we all really love and agree it's the most authentic we've been able to find. In fact, a very good friend of mine, Michele Wynn Gerhard, a renowned Chef who is unfortunately no longer with us, spoke lovingly about this recipe when I shared it with her.

"THANK YOU, Mary! In my opinion, this is THE German potato salad recipe!!! Seriously! I can definitely picture my German mother-in-law in her kitchen. I can definitely smell the Kartoffelsalat from here, and I can almost taste it! The picture looks almost identical to hers. I'm talking MEGA drool here! If I'm ever able to get in the kitchen and cook again, this will be the first thing I make! KEY - the right potato (never Russet "baking" potatoes!), right balance of vinegar & oil, using a good MILD vinegar, and please, please, please don't omit the chicken (or beef) broth, even if it sounds weird to you. YES, pour the vinegar over the warm potatoes, and yes, to just a small amount of sugar. It enhances the flavor somehow, but doesn't make the salad taste sweet. And, as "Mutti" says, NEVER serve hot or cold, always warm, by which I mean room temperature.

In all these years, I've never seen a recipe that came so close to describing exactly what Mama Mizzi did 1,000's of times, at least. Her kids, grandchildren, and daughter-in-laws learned to make it by watching her. Ditto for all her best dishes. I've never seen her consult a recipe, not even when baking. Oh yeah, the fresh herbs are important, too. She always had a great garden and used whatever was available to her there - always parsley & chives, dill if she had it. Yes, freshly ground black pepper, and she was just as fussy about her vinegar as she was about the type of potato she used. Thanks again, dear Mary... this is a treasure, for sure!" Love, Michele

RECIPE
Ingredients
5 pounds Yukon Gold or Red potatoes (not Russet)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 tbls. dill weed

1/4 cup parsley leaves
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. course-ground black pepper
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or less; add small amount at a time)

Method
Cook bacon until crispy. Drain the bacon on a paper towel and save about 2 Tablespoons of the fat. Finely chop the cooked bacon and set aside. Next dice the onion.

Boil the potatoes, skin on, until fork tender (approx 20-30 minutes) in water. Drain and let sit in cold water to cool down enough to handle; gently rub off the peel.

Once all of the potatoes are peeled, cut each potato in half and then bite size pieces, or slices, however you prefer.

Pour the vinegar, salt and pepper on to the warm potatoes and wait for a few minutes, stirring once. Let the mixture absorb into the potatoes, which takes just a few minutes.

Add the bacon, onion, dill weed, the reserved bacon fat, and chicken stock.

Gently stir with a large wooden spoon being careful not to press the potatoes too much.

Add about 1/2-3/4 cups of the vegetable oil and combine (you may need more later).

Add 1 teaspoon of sugar, taste and adjust the salt, if necessary. Add a little more vinegar, if necessary so it has a mild tart taste.

The potato salad should have a nice shine to it, but not be too oily. Add a little oil at a time, until you see a very light sheen. Add the parsley last and stir to combine.

Serve at room temperature.

Adapted from A Feast for the Eyes

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Creamy Cucumber Salad with Dill

Updated and Republished April 2020

Super-easy, delicious way to enjoy all those yummy cucumbers. This recipe has German origins and is one we've enjoyed many times. It is extremely adaptable and can be cut in 1/2, doubled or even tripled. Enjoy!

RECIPE

Ingredients

3 med cucumbers, sliced
1 med sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup white wine vinegar (or plain white vinegar will do)
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped (I use McCormick's Dill Weed if you don't have fresh)
1/2 tsp salt
Dash pepper

Method
In a bowl make alternating layers of cucumbers and sliced onion, sprinkling with chopped dill (may need to adjust for your taste by adding more or less dill). 

Combine sour cream, sugar, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over cucumbers. 

Let chill at least 4 hours. Easy!

Check out the Mothership Cucumber Caprese Salad and more cucumber and tomato salad recipes over at Sumptuous Spoonfuls

Enjoy,
Mary
© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.