Picklin'

There are 6 quarts of kosher dill pickles, some with a hefty handful of jalapeno peppers thrown in, cooling in the canner right now.  And in the refrigerator is a big old bowl of chopped cucumbers, peppers, and onions soaking in salt water that will be cucumber relish in about 3 hours. 

I have a canning book called Putting Up More by Stephen Palmer Dowdney.  (I believe there was an original Putting Up, but I didn't run across it in the store the day I bought this book.)  It is just full of delicious-sounding recipes.  Among them is a recipe for "Summer Squash Pickle" that I'll be trying if the yellow squash is still producing when the zucchini starts to come in.  Here's the recipe in case you're interested:

Summer Squash Pickle (makes 7 pints)

7 cups cubed yellow squash (1-inch pieces)
3 cups sliced zucchini (no more than 1" thick)
1.5 cups diced red onion
2.5 cups diced red pepper
2 carrots, sliced into 1" pieces, then halved or quartered
7 cloves of garlic (1 for each jar)

Saltwater Solution:  1 quart water + 3/4 cup salt

Pickling Solution: 
2.5 cups cider vinegar (5% acidity)
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons whole celery seed
1 teaspoon dry mustard.

In a pot, glass baking dish, or other large container, spread out the squash and onion, sprinkle salt on top and leave for 2 hours minimum.  [Note:  this is evidently additional salt, not the salt for the "saltwater solution".  The recipe does not say how much salt is sprinkled on top.]

When ready to proceed, add saltwater solution, stir once, and drain well, but do not rinse.  Mix remaining vegetables together, except for the garlic.  Put 1 garlic clove in each sterile jar and fill with remaining vegetables.

Prepare the pickling solution by mixing all ingredients together in a non-reactive pot, place over heat, and bring to a boil.  ("Non-reactive" means something other than aluminum.) 

Place the jars in the canning rack, fill with pickling solution, and check the pH of the liquid.* Place the thermometer in the center jar with the special lid, loosely lid the other jars, and lower into the boiling [water] bath, ensuring the water level does not come higher than the fill line on the jars.**  As the water beings to return to a boil, lower heat slightly to prevent further boiling.

When canning temperature reaches 200 degrees F, wait 2 minutes before removing jars.  Tighten lids, replace center lid, and invert all jars for 2 minutes minimum.

* This pH check is supposed to be done with pH strips.  I don't have any of these.  The recipe says that the pH of the liquid should be below 4.3.  The author says that he has tested the all of the recipes in the book, and that they should all be at a safe pH level.

** These instructions are foreign to me.  I will be using the old-fashioned water bath method (where you put the lids on the jars, lower them into water that covers the jars by 1", and, once the water boils, start timing), and will be processing my jars for 15 minutes.  I'm typing the instructions from the book's preface in case you want to follow his method.

"The center jar, known as the cold jar because it is always filled first, will hold a thermometer inserted thru a temporary makeshift lid with a small hole in the center (a 1-minute homemade project).  The remaining jars, usually six, are loosely capped with sterile lids so air can flow out; once tightened, an excellent vacuum can be created as the jars cool.  The rack is lowered slowly and carefully into the boiling water bath.  The water level in the bath cannot go beyond the fill rings, or canning lines.  Again, this is critical when water bathing because one cannot allow water to enter the loosely sealed jars.  The water in the bath will stop boiling as the jars are lowered in.  At the first signs of boiling, lower the heat slightly to prevent the bubbling water from entering the loosely capped jars.  When the prescribed temperature is reached, wait 2 additional minutes before removing the rack.  Once out of the bath, tighten each jar's lid, replace the lid on the center jar, and finally invert all jars for a minimum of 2 minutes."