A Love Affair with Southern Cooking (68 page)

Variation

Potato Salad Pickles:
The only difference here is that Mrs. Dishman cuts the raw cucumber sticks into ¾-inch chunks and adds ¾ teaspoon black peppercorns to the boiling vinegar mixture. It’s important that you pack the cucumber chunks into the jars as tightly as possible, otherwise they will float when the vinegar mixture is added. Process as directed above, then store in a cool, dark spot for several weeks before opening. How do you use potato salad pickles? Add them to your favorite potato salad, tasting as you go so that the amount is exactly right.

The greatest service which can be rendered by any country is to add a useful plant to its culture.

—
THOMAS JEFFERSON

SWEET YELLOW SQUASH PICKLES

MAKES
6
TO
8
PINTS

A taste of these squash pickles whirls me back to my growing-up years in Raleigh, North Carolina. Knowing how I doted upon them, my mother would buy a pint or two whenever she spotted them at the farmer’s market or some local church bazaar. When I was twelve, I tried to “crack” the recipe and made a batch of squash pickles myself. They weren’t half bad, but I’ve perfected the recipe over the years. Note:
For best results, use small straight-neck squash; they slice more neatly than crooknecks. Four of them weigh about a pound.

3 to 3½ pounds tender young straight-neck yellow squash, trimmed, scrubbed, and sliced ¼ inch thick (you will need 12 cups sliced squash)

4 to 4½ pounds silverskin onions, peeled and thinly sliced (you’ll need 12 cups sliced onions)

½ cup pickling salt

6 cups (1½ quarts) crushed ice

3½ cups sugar

2 cups (1 pint) white (distilled) vinegar

2 cups (1 pint) cider vinegar

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

1¾ teaspoons celery seeds

1¾ teaspoons ground turmeric

• 1.
  Layer the sliced squash and onions in a very large nonreactive bowl, sprinkling each layer
  with salt. Pile the ice on top, set the bowl in the sink, and let stand for 3 hours.
  
• 2.
  Drain the squash and onions, transfer to a very large colander, and rinse under the cold tap. Drain well, then, using the bowl of a ladle, press out as much liquid as possible.
  
• 3.
  Wash and rinse 8 one-pint preserving jars and their closures and submerge in a large kettle of boiling water.
  
• 4.
  Bring the sugar, white and cider vinegars, mustard and celery seeds, and turmeric to a rolling boil in a large nonreactive kettle. Add the squash and onions and, stirring gently, return to the boil.
  
• 5.
  Lift the preserving jars from the boiling water one by one. Pack with pickles, making sure they are submerged in the pickling liquid and leaving ¼ inch head space at the top of the jar.
  Tip:
  To avoid spills, use a wide-mouth canning funnel.
  Run a thin-blade spatula around the inside of the jar to release air bubbles; wipe the jar rim with a clean, damp cloth, then screw on the closure. Repeat until all jars are filled.
  
• 6.
  Process the jars for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath (212° F.). Lift from the water bath; complete the seals, if necessary, by tightening the lids, then cool to room temperature.
  
• 7.
  Date and label each jar, then store on a cool, dark shelf several weeks before opening.
  

GREEN TOMATO PICKLES

MAKES
6
TO
8
PINTS

Next to watermelon rind pickles, these are probably the South’s favorite because they go with almost everything: fried chicken or fish; roast pork, turkey, or chicken; or ham or chicken salad. To make their pickles crisp, Southerners use pickling lime (see About Pickling Lime, Chapter 7). Note:
For best results, use tomatoes about the size of golf balls.

1 gallon small, hard green tomatoes (about 5 pounds), cored and sliced ¼ inch thick but not peeled

2 gallons (8 quarts) cold water, mixed with 1½ cups food-grade pickling lime (lime water; see headnote)

5 pounds sugar

4 cups (1 quart) white (distilled) vinegar

4 cups (1 quart) cider vinegar

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon whole allspice

½ teaspoon whole cloves

½ teaspoon blade mace

1 cinnamon stick, broken in several places

• 1.
  Soak the tomatoes in the lime water in a large nonreactive kettle for 24 hours. Drain well, cover with cold water, and soak 4 hours longer, changing the water every hour. Drain the tomatoes, then rinse well in several changes of cold water. Also wash and rinse the kettle well.
  
• 2.
  Return the drained tomatoes to the kettle and add the sugar and two vinegars. Tie all the spices in cheesecloth and drop into the kettle. Bring to a boil over moderately low heat, then set off the heat, cover, and let stand 24 hours.
  
• 3.
  Next day, set the kettle over moderately low heat and bring the tomatoes and pickling liquid to a boil. Adjust the heat so that the mixture barely
  bubbles and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally, or until the pickles are translucent. Discard the spice bag.
  
• 4.
  Meanwhile, wash and rinse 8 one-pint preserving jars and their closures and submerge in a large kettle of boiling water.
  
• 5.
  Lift the preserving jars from the boiling water one by one. Pack with tomatoes, making sure they are covered with the pickling liquid and leaving ¼ inch head space at the top of the jar. Run a thin-blade spatula around the inside of the jar to release air bubbles; wipe the jar rim with a clean, damp cloth, then screw on the closure. Repeat until all the jars are filled.
  
• 6.
  Process the jars for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath (212° F.). Lift from the water bath; complete the seals, if necessary, by tightening the lids, then cool to room temperature.
  
• 7.
  Date and label each jar, then store on a cool, dark shelf several weeks before opening.
  

FARMER’S MARKET CORN RELISH

MAKES
8
TO
10
PINTS

This recipe was given to my mother long ago by the woman at the Raleigh farmer’s market from whom she bought corn. I don’t remember Mother making the relish; indeed her handwritten, card-file recipe for it is pristine. I, on the other hand, often put up a batch of relish during the all-too-short sweet-corn season. It’s delicious with baked ham or roast pork, turkey, or chicken. I’ve even tossed it into salads, casseroles, and corn breads. Note:
Cut the kernels from the cob carefully and cleanly; you don’t want the corn’s “milk” to cloud the relish.

16 medium ears just-picked yellow sweet corn, shucked and stripped of silks

4 cups (1 quart) finely diced celery (about 1 large bunch)

2 cups (1 pint) finely diced, cored, and seeded green bell peppers (about 3 large)

2 cups (1 pint) finely diced, cored, and seeded red bell peppers (about 3 large)

1 cup moderately coarsely chopped yellow onion (about 1 large)

4 cups (1 quart) cider vinegar

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons pickling salt or coarse salt

2 teaspoons celery seeds

¼ cup unsifted all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons dry mustard

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ teaspoon ground hot red pepper (cayenne)

¹
/
₃
cup cold water

• 1.
  Boil the ears of corn uncovered in a large, heavy kettle of unsalted water for 10 minutes; drain and quick-chill in ice water. Drain well again and cut the kernels from the cobs.
  Tip:
  Holding an ear at a slight angle to a cutting board, I cut straight down, freeing about 3 rows of kernels at a time. Do not scrape the cobs.
  Measure out and reserve 8 cups (2 quarts) of the corn kernels (save any extra for chowder or corn bread).
  
• 2.
  Wash and rinse 10 one-pint preserving jars and their closures and submerge in a large kettle of boiling water.
  
• 3.
  Place the celery, green and red bell peppers, onion, vinegar, sugar, salt, and celery seeds in a very large nonreactive kettle. Set over high heat and bring quickly to a boil. Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
  
• 4.
  Meanwhile, blend the flour, mustard, turmeric, cayenne, and water in a small bowl to form a smooth paste. Whisk in a little of the hot relish liquid, then stir back into the kettle. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes or until slightly thickened.
  
• 5.
  Add the 8 cups corn kernels, cover, and boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  
• 6.
  Lift the preserving jars from the boiling water one by one. Ladle in the hot relish, leaving ¼ inch head space at the top of the jar. Run a thin-blade spatula around the inside of the jar to release trapped air bubbles; wipe the jar rim with a clean, damp cloth, then screw on the closure. Repeat until all jars are filled.
  Tip:
  To avoid spilling or dribbling relish down the sides of the jars as you fill them, use a wide-mouth canning funnel.
  
• 7.
  Process the jars for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath (212° F.). Lift from the water bath; complete the seals, if needed, by tightening the lids and cool to room temperature.
  
• 8.
  Date and label each jar, then store on a cool, dark shelf several weeks before opening.
  

BLUE RIDGE SWEET RED PEPPER RELISH

MAKES
10
TO
11
PINTS

“My mother used to make this relish and her mother made it, too,” Miz Nannie Grace Dishman of Sugar Grove, North Carolina, told me years ago when I interviewed her for a
Family Circle
article. “It’s still the family favorite,” she added. “We eat it on hot dogs and hamburgers but it’s real good, too, on pinto beans and green beans.” For years, Mrs. Dishman and her daughter Brenda put up hundreds of quarts of pickles and relishes, fruits, and vegetables, nearly all of them homegrown. Mrs. Dishman always chopped the vegetables “real fine” for her pepper relish. “But,” she continued, “if you like prettier jars, cut them right coarse.”

12 large red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and moderately coarsely chopped (about 4½ pounds)

12 very small yellow onions, moderately coarsely chopped (about 2 pounds)

12 small Golden Delicious apples, cored, peeled, and moderately coarsely chopped (about 4 pounds)

3 quarts boiling water (about)

2½ cups cider vinegar

2½ cups cold water

2½ cups sugar

4 teaspoons pickling salt

• 1.
  Place the peppers, onions, and apples in a very large nonreactive kettle, add just enough of the boiling water to cover them, and let stand uncovered at room temperature for 10 minutes.
  
• 2.
  Meanwhile, wash and rinse 11 one-pint preserving jars and their closures and submerge in a large kettle of boiling water.
  
• 3.
  Combine the vinegar, cold water, sugar, and salt in a medium-size nonreactive kettle and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Reduce the heat to low, stir until the sugar dissolves completely, then simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
  
• 4.
  Drain the vegetable mixture well and return to the same kettle. Pour in the hot vinegar mixture, set over moderate heat, and bring to a full rolling boil. Set off the heat.
  
• 5.
  Lift the preserving jars from the boiling water one by one. Ladle in the hot relish, leaving ¼ inch head space at the top of the jar. Run a thin-blade spatula around the inside of the jar to free trapped air bubbles; wipe the jar rim with a clean, damp cloth, then screw on the closure. Repeat until all the jars are filled.
  Tip:
  To avoid spilling or dribbling relish down the sides of the jars as you fill them, use a wide-mouth canning funnel.
  
• 6.
  Process the jars for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath (212° F.). Lift from the water bath; complete the seals, if needed, by tightening the lids, then cool to room temperature.
  
• 7.
  Date and label each jar, then store on a cool, dark shelf several weeks before opening.