I'm new to this whole canning craze. I've never made jam, I've never pickled anything, and I certainly haven't wanted to try. Until now at least.
Until I realized that canning is a way of preserving things {well I knew, but didn't really think about it}.
So what does that mean to me? It means that I can enjoy the gorgeous, fresh produce that overflows from the bins at the farmer's market and spills off the shelves of our local co-op. It means that I can revel in the tastes of summer all year long.
How did I not think of this sooner?
But rather than getting super creative, we decided to stick with the basics. Stay safely in our comfort zones with two of our favorite recipes.
Dill pickles and pickled jalapenos.
Both recipes you can find at the grocery store, but of course tastes so much better made at home. I mean, if you don't know already, canning is so much fun!
After these tasty treats, I'm seeing many more canned recipes in our futures. From fruit preserves to other pickled veggies.
So please, share with me, what are your favorite things to can?
Homemade Dill Pickles
Ingredients
- 2 medium pickling cucumbers
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon stevia powder
- 1 tablespoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Slice the cucumbers into rings or spears, whichever you prefer.
- Add the cucumbers to a mason jar and set aside.
- Combine the remaining ingredients into a small saucepan over high heat.
- Bring the liquid to a boil for 2 minutes.
- Pour the liquid over the cucumbers and let cool on the counter for at least 30 minutes.
- Once the cucumbers have cooled, place in the fridge overnight.
- Use the pickles on sandwiches or as a super healthy, low-calorie snack.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
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Homemade Spicy Pickled Jalapenos
Ingredients
- 4 medium jalapenos
- 4 cups + 3/4 cup water
- 12 ice cubes
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon stevia powder
Instructions
- Slice the jalapenos into rings, keeping the seeds inside.
- Prepare an ice bath in a large mixing bowl, with 2 cups water and the 12 ice cubes
- Bring 2 more cups of water to boil on the stove and add half the jalapenos, cooking for 2 minutes.
- Once cooked, transfer the jalapenos to the ice bath to stop the cooking process.
- Add the rest of the jalapenos to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes.
- Transfer to the ice bath for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the jalapenos to a mason jar and set aside.
- Bring the remaining 3/4 cups of water, vinegar, salt and stevia to boil on the stove and let boil for 2 minutes.
- Pour the liquid over the jalapenos and cover with a lid.
- Cool the jalapenos on the counter for 30 minutes, then transfer to the fridge and chill overnight.
- Use the jalapenos on sandwiches, salad, a top nachos or even added to your burritos. Any which way they're tasty!
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
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Is there a video of the process?
I don’t have one right now, sorry about that!
do you have to use pickling cucumbers? these pickles will be eaten within two weeks at my house and we have many regular cucumbers in my garden
thanks
I’m sure they would be fine with regular pickles. The size of pickling cucumbers just work well. It might be best if you do rounds instead of strips.
Sill question I know, but when do you put the lid on the pickles? Before or after they cool for 30 min? Can’t wait to try these…
Hi Ruby, not silly at all! We put the lids on right after we pour the pickling juice in. Let them cool at room temperature with the lid on. Let me know if you try them 🙂
I trust you realize that these recipes will not keep until the wintertime, as you have not processed them in a water bath. 🙂 Just want to make sure everyone knows that these will need to be used in a relatively short amount of time, and they will have to remain refrigerated, as you can’t set them out on shelves to use sometime later down the road. 🙂
Good luck!
I sure do, but thanks for putting it out there for others though!
Thank you so much for the pickling recipes with no sugar. May I ask what brand of stevia you use? That sounds like waaaay too much of KAL brand to be dill.
Hi Liz, I use NuNaturals stevia powder, and it worked great for me. Not sure about the KAL brand…maybe it’s stronger? Perhaps try just 1/4 teaspoon if you’re worried they’ll be too sweet 🙂 xo Alyssa
This looks GREAT! I’ve made pickles before, but I’m going to try your dill recipe, mmmm! Love the photos, clean and crisp
Thank you, Stef! xo
This looks fantastic! I have never made pickles before!
Thanks Lauren! I was so surprised how easy they were to make 🙂