This example of quick-process pickles, made from start to finish in a few hours, comes courtesy of my mother-in-law, Sally Meyers. It, in turn, came to her from her mother-in-law, Helen Meyers, some 30 years prior. I’m not sure if this recipe has ever won a blue ribbon, but judging from its crowd appeal, mothers-in-law evidently know best.
Distribute the cucumbers, onions and peppers uniformly over the bottom of 2 15-by-10-inch glass baking pans. Sprinkle evenly with the salt and then lay the ice cubes on top. Let the veggies sit at room temperature for about 3 hours.
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.
At close to the 3-hour mark, sterilize 7 pint jars by washing them with hot, soapy water (or in the dishwasher) and then setting them upright on a cookie sheet in the oven for at least 10 minutes. Keep them hot until you are ready to fill them.
Sterilize the lids and rims by boiling them for 10 minutes (or according to the jar manufacturers instructions). Remove them from the water with tongs and air-dry in a draft-free place. Avoid touching any parts that could later come in direct contact with the pickles.
Combine the vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, turmeric and horseradish in a large (at least 6-quart) nonreactive pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to make sure the sugar dissolves. Keep the liquid very hot.
Drain the cucumbers and add them to the hot liquid. Heat the cucumbers through, stirring gently as needed, but do not boil.
Turn the hot pickles into the jars, leaving about 1/4-to-1/2-inch head space. (A wide-mouthed funnel is helpful in keeping food particles from getting on the jar rims.)
Slide a sterilized nonreactive spatula down the sides of each jar to release trapped air between the pickles that may harbor bacteria. Wipe the jar rims with a clean cloth to remove any food particles that may later inhibit a vacuum seal. Cover with the lids and secure the rims while still hot.
Place the sealed jars in a canner or deep pot fitted with a rack. Cover the jars with hot water (by at least 1 inch) and boil for 10 minutes. (Start counting time only after the water comes to a full boil.) Do not overprocess or the cucumbers will get soft.
Remove the jars from the pot with tongs and let them cool. Check the lids to be sure the vacuum buttons are fully depressed, indicating that the lids are vacuum-sealed. (The buttons should pop into the depressed position as the contents cool.) If they do not depress, then reseal and reprocess in boiling water, or store in the fridge and eat within a few weeks.
Properly processed pickles can be stored, unopened, in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. For best eating, let the flavors meld at least 2 weeks.
Once opened, the pickles must be refrigerated.
3 cups sliced white onions (about 1 1/2 8-oz. onions)
3¾ cups seeded and diced sweet red peppers (about 3 7-to-8-oz. peppers)
¼ cup pickling or kosher salt
About 4 trays ice cubes
3 cups white vinegar
3 cups granulated sugar
3 tsp. whole mustard seed
1 1/8 tsp. whole celery seed
3/4 tsp. ground turmeric
2 ¼ tsp. prepared horseradish
This article appears in Oct 1-31, 2007.