Bloody Mary Beans

Bloody Mary Beans ... oh yes! These are so delicious in Bloody Mary's, but equally good right out of the jar to nibble on.

I picked up a half-bushel of Blue Lake green beans from a local farm to put up, but I also knew I wanted to make some of them into these Bloody Mary Beans.

Wading my way through all those green beans was a 2 day job, but in the end, I'm always happy to put up my own.

These Bloody Mary Beans are bursting with flavor from the garlic and dill weed to the hot sauce. The recipe is identical to my Pickled Asparagus with the exception of the added hot sauce.

Bloody Mary Beans are crisp tender, tangy and a little spicy. Want more spice? Add more red pepper flakes and hot sauce. If you'd rather them be mild, you can add less or leave it out completely.

You may also like these other pickled vegetable recipes:
Pickled Cabbage Slaw
Pickled Cauliflower and Carrots
Frog Balls {Pickled Brussels Sprouts}

RECIPE
Ingredients
5 lbs fresh green beans, ends trimmed
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups water
2 tbsp pickling salt
1/2 tsp. dill weed or dill seed
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. dried minced garlic (or fresh minced garlic)
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. hot sauce (or more to taste)

Method
Combine the vinegar, water and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. 

Add the dill weed, peppercorns, mustard seeds, garlic, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce to each jar.

Pack the green beans into the jars over the spices, leaving 1/2-inch head-space.

Pour the liquid over the green beans, and tap the jars to remove any air bubbles. Wipe rims with a damp cloth, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath or steam canner for 10 minutes.

Remove from jars from water onto a towel, and allow to cool completely. Once cool, remove the rings and check the seals. Sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to one year.

How to use:  Add to Bloody Mary's, or serve on an assorted pickle tray.

Yield: 5-6 pint jars

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.

Dijon Mustard

I just love Dijon Mustard and have wanted to make my own for a long time. Finally I had the time and ingredients and couldn't wait to get started.

Loaded with great garlic flavor this classic white wine Dijon mustard will be your go-to for sandwiches and roasts. Trust me, it's damn delicious and has become a new favorite at our house.

RECIPE
Ingredients
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups Pinot Grigio or other dry white wine
1 cup white wine vinegar (5% acidity)
1 tsp. salt
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
4 black peppercorns
1 rosemary sprig (1/3 tsp dry)
1 cup yellow mustard seeds
1⁄3 cup dry mustard
Water to thin, about 1 1/2 cups or slightly more

Method
Combine first 7 ingredients in a large stainless steel or enameled saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes or until onion is very soft, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat; pour onion mixture through a wire-mesh strainer into a glass or stainless steel bowl. Discard solids.

Stir mustard seeds and dry mustard into wine mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature at least 24 hours, but no longer than 48 hours.

Process mustard mixture in a food processor then transfer to a blender adding water, a little at a time (I used about 1 1/2 cups) until consistency of cooked oatmeal. Mixture should be thick but smooth.

Transfer mustard to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring often; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered 5 minutes.

Ladle hot mustard into a hot jar, leaving 1⁄4-inch head-space. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim, top with lids and apply band to fingertip-tight. Place jars in boiling water bath or steam canner.

Process jars 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat; remove lid, and let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and let cool 24 hours undisturbed on your kitchen counter-top. Store in pantry up to one year.

Cook's note - for best results, let mustard sit 2-4 weeks before trying for flavors to blend and mellow

Yield: 6 or 7 - 4 oz jars

Recipe excerpted from The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving, 2016.

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.

Bradford Collard Slaw

Updated December 2021

Organically grown heirloom Bradford Collards are like no other I have ever tasted. The collards are sweet and the stems tender. You can literally wash them up, trim the stem pieces a bit, and use them all in any dish; stir fried, steamed, in wraps, in salads or as this delicious Bradford Collard Slaw.

This amazing heirloom landrace crop has been grown by the Bradford family for more than 100 years, but was released to the public for the first time this year. As soon as I heard from owner, Nat Bradford they were available, I was madly waving my hand in the air, me, me, me, me!!

Finally I was able to get some of these beauties this past weekend, and making this Bradford Collard Slaw was first on my list of ways I wanted to use them in recipes.

Just wait until you taste it. Sweet and tangy from the brine, this Bradford Collard Slaw is delicious served cold or at room temperature.

Quick Pickled Broccoli

"Cool, briny pickles straight from the fridge are one of the simplest pleasures of summer. Quick pickling is also a brilliant solution for preserving a plethora of vegetables from the market or your garden. Quick pickling doesn't require canning or a bushel of vegetables. Best of all, you can adapt this simple formula for any fresh vegetables; try a mixture of vinegars and spices for a truly custom pickle pleasure." (source: The Kitchn)

And so I set out to make Quick Picked Broccoli! I was amazed when I tried them a few hours after they'd been refrigerated; crisp, tart, tangy and delicious.

Old Fashioned Southern Squash Pickles

So why do we pickle vegetables? Well in the South in particular, it became a way of preserving summer's bounty when little to no refrigeration or freezing was available. Summer Squash Pickles, Bread and Butter Pickles, Pickled Okra, Dilled Green Beans and more became a way to "put things up" to enjoy year round. 

Brine squash in salt and water

It is rumored pickles were one of Cleopatra’s prized beauty secrets. They make appearances in the Bible and in Shakespeare’s writing. Pregnant women have been known to crave them along with ice cream. Pickles have been around for thousands of years, dating as far back as 2030 BC when cucumbers from their native India were pickled in the Tigris Valley. The word “pickle” comes from the Dutch pekel or northern German pókel, meaning “salt” or “brine,” two very important components in the pickling process. Throughout history pickling was a necessity, as it was the best way to preserve food for a long period of time. As one of the earliest mobile foods, pickles filled the stomachs of hungry sailors and travelers, while also providing families with a source of food during the cold winter months.

make sauce and pour over drained, brined pickles

Home pickling was made much easier and more sanitary during the 1850s, when two essential canning tools were invented. First, a Scottish chemist by the name of James Young created paraffin wax, which helped to create a seal for food preserved in jars. A few years later, John Mason developed and patented the first Mason jar. Mason’s jars were made from a heavyweight glass that was able to tolerate the high temperatures used in canning and processing pickles. (Source: Our State.com)

Using a slotted spoon, add squash to prepared canning jars

Cover squash pickles with sauce

RECIPE
Ingredients
10 small firm yellow squash, sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 7-8 cups)
3 zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 2-3 cups)
1 small onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup canning salt
3 cups sugar
3 cups white vinegar
2 tsp. mustard seed
2 tsp. celery seed
2 tsp. turmeric

Method
In a large stock pot, add sliced yellow squash, zucchini, and onion. Sprinkle 1/2 cup canning salt over all, cover/bury with ice, and let sit for 2-3 hours. Drain, rinse, and set aside.

In a large saucepan, add sugar, vinegar and spices. Bring to a boil over medium-high to high heat, stirring often. Remove pan from heat and pour mixture over drained squash. Let sit 30 minutes, stirring once in a while to thoroughly blend.

Using a slotted spoon, fill prepared jars (wide mouth pint jars work best), pushing vegetables down in jars. Ladle hot liquid over vegetables leaving 1/2-inch head-space. Use a plastic knife and move up and down around the sides of jars to remove air bubbles; top with more liquid if necessary,

Cover jars with lids and rings and process in boiling water bath or steam canner 10 minutes. Remove jars from canner and let sit on a kitchen towel on your counter-top 24 hours undisturbed. Jars are sealed when button in middle of lid is depressed and can't be moved.

Store in pantry up to 1 year. Opened jars must be refrigerated.

Cooks note - recipe is easily divided or doubled. Vinegar and Sugar ratio is 1:1 so adjust accordingly along with spices (less spice when divided, more spice when doubled).

Yield: 6 wide-mouth pint jars

Process in boiling water bath, cool and enjoy

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.

Spicy Asian Orange Sauce

Citrus fruit is great, and when oranges are in season I usually buy some to make marmalade. This year I wanted to do something different, so I decided to make this Spicy Asian Orange Sauce.

Inspired by Asian flavors, this sauce incorporates Chinese 5 Spice, soy sauce, red chili flakes and garlic to give it some zing! Brown sugar, white sugar and honey gives it some sweetness, and the apple cider vinegar gives it some punch.

Baste it on grilled chicken, pork ribs or ham for a delicious twist.

Recipe

Ingredients
12 medium-sized oranges
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup honey (I use raw local honey)
3/4 cup diced onion
2 tbls. mustard seed
1 tbls. minced garlic
1 tbls. soy sauce (dark soy but you can use any)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbls. red chili flakes (add more if you like spicy)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbls. Chinese 5 spice powder
1 tbls. orange zest (reserved to add to each jar)

Method
Peel all oranges, reserving peel*. Remove any seeds, separate oranges into sections, and add them to a large stock pot with 3 cups water of water. Simmer on low for an hour until fruit is soft. Add onions and simmer for 10 minutes or until onions are soft. Add the rest of the ingredients, simmer for 15 minutes. Using a regular or stick blender pulse the mixture till it’s mostly smooth.

Ladle hot sauce into prepared jars, adding a pinch of the reserved orange zest to each jar and stirring well to combine. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims of the jars with a damp paper towel, removing any food particles that would interfere with a good seal. Add your rings to the tops of each of the jars and turn to seal just "finger tight."

Processing: Add jars to a large stock pot with a rack on the bottom. Cover jars with hot water until the water is 2" over the top of the jars. Cover pot and bring to a boil; reduce heat and boil softly 20 minutes. When complete turn off the heat and remove the cover and let the jars sit for another few minutes. Remove the jars and place them back on the dishtowel in a place that they will sit overnight to cool. Allow jars to sit undisturbed 24 hours. Jars are sealed when button on top of lid is fully depressed. Store jars in pantry up to one year. Refrigerate jars after opening.

Yield:  5 pint jars

*Make Orange Zest with reserved peel - chop/grate orange peel using a food processor, and spread out on rimmed cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 170 degrees and dry zest in oven  over several hours, stirring from time to time (time will vary depending on oven but will be at least 3-4 hours). Once dried completely, store zest in small glass mason jars and use the zest as you would any store-bought zest. Zest will keep on your pantry shelf up to one year. How to use Zest

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.

Spicy Brown Mustard

For whatever reason, I've been on kick to make homemade mustard.  I really like the "spicy brown" mustard you can buy in the store, so when I saw this recipe on Serious Eats, I just knew I had to make some.

Like most homemade mustard, after you've made it, you need to let it sit for awhile on your pantry shelf for the flavors to mellow and blend. Sometimes this is only a few days, other times it's a month or more.

RECIPE 
Ingredients

1 cup white wine vinegar
3/4 cup brown or yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Water, as needed (up to one cup)

Method
Place mustard seeds and vinegar in a small bowl or container, cover, and let soak at room temperature for 24 hours.

Transfer mustard seeds and remaining liquid to a food processor. Add in turmeric, allspice, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Process until smooth. Transfer to a blender, and add water, 2 tbsp at a time (up to one cup) to thin consistency as needed. Blend well on high. Mustard should be somewhat thick and smooth with just a little graininess.

Store in an airtight container and let rest in refrigerator for 2 to 3 days before using.

Canning Directions: fill jars leaving 1/4 -inch head-space. Use a plastic knife to go around inside of jar moving knife up and down to remove any air bubbles and tamp down jar well. Cover with lids and rings and process in boiling water bath or steam canner 10 minutes.

Remove jars and let sit on a kitchen towel on your counter-top 24 hours; store processed jars on your pantry shelf. Let mustard sit about 4 weeks for flavors to develop and mellow before using. Shelf life is one year.

Yield: 2 - 8 oz. jars or 4 - 4 oz jars.

Variation: Add 8 oz. sweet pickle relish with juice and blend well to make Sweet Pickle Mustard. Add water to thin consistency as needed, 2 tbsp at a time. Delicious with hot dogs, brats, burgers, ham, and pork.

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.

Bread and Butter Pickles

Updated August 2019

Bread and Butter Pickles are a sweet and tangy delicious pickle. They are versatile and can be topped on burgers, diced and added to potato salad, tuna salad and so much more.

This is a very easy and quick bread and butter pickle recipe! Just follow these step-by-step directions.

Gather your ingredients together

Blend ingredients in sauce pan and bring to a boil

Slice cucumbers very thinly, or leave a bit chunkier if desired

Add sliced onion

Toss cucumbers and onions together Sprinkle with 1/3 cup canning salt and add 2 quarts cold water to cover. Let sit 2 hours; drain but do not rinse.

RECIPE
Ingredients
8 cups thinly sliced cucumbers, 1/4"thick
2 cups thinly sliced onion
1/3 cup canning salt
3 cups sugar
3 cups white vinegar
2 tsp. mustard seed
2 tsp. celery seed
2 tsp. turmeric

Method
In a large stock pot, add sliced cucumbers and onion. Sprinkle 1/3 cup canning salt over all, cover with cold water and let sit 2 hours. Drain, but do not rinse and set aside.

In a large saucepan, add sugar, vinegar and spices. Bring to a boil over medium high to high heat, stirring often. Remove pan from heat and pour mixture over drained cucumbers. Let sit 30 minutes, stirring once in awhile to thoroughly blend.

Using a slotted spoon, fill prepared jars (wide mouth pint jars work best), pushing vegetables down in jars. Ladle hot liquid over vegetables leaving 1/4-inch head-space. Use a plastic knife and move up and down around sides of jars to remove air bubbles; top with more liquid if necessary keeping 1/4-inch head-space.

Cover jars with lids and rings and process in boiling water bath or steam canner 10 minutes. Remove jars from water bath and let sit on a kitchen towel on your counter-top 24 hours undisturbed. Jars are sealed when button in middle of lid is depressed and can't be moved.

Remove jars from boiling water bath or steam canner and cool on towel placed on counter top for 24 hours. Store in cabinet. Delicious.

Yield:  Approx. 4 pints depending on size of pickling cucumbers

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.