Old Time Favorite Mustard Pickle. My husbands grandmother Eva was an avid canner. One of the family favorites was her famous Mustard Pickle. It was a staple at the Sunday afternoon dinner table, where it was always served with a pot roast or ham. It was especially loved for those Sunday night sandwiches made with leftover dinner rolls. Have you ever tried Mustard Pickle  I had never even heard of it until I married my husband. And since, I have seen a number of other recipes but this one has a special place in our hearts it tastes like home  and days gone by. Several years before Eva passed away, my husband went to her home several times to cook with her. I mentioned before that he learned to make her apple pie. Luckily he also helped her make a batch of Mustard Pickle over the course of two evenings. Here is Evas hand written copy of her recipe. She had it waiting for him the first evening when he arrived to peel the onions and prep the vegetables for the brine Dont you just love seeing her shaky scrawl  I am astounded that, at the age of 9. Eva still had the energy to can a batch of Mustard Pickle, because let me tell you folks, its not for the faint of heart. Peeling 3 pound in our case 6 pounds this year of pearl onions is nothing short of a pain in the rear. Its a process that is worth the work however. And luckily the hardest parts of canning, sorta like childbirth, fades in your memory from year to year and you are left with the warm memories of how smug and productive you feel when your cans are lined cooling on the counter. Canning is always easier when you are in good company, and last night my kitchen was invaded by two of my favorite men, my husband and his father. Here are some of the highlights of how we make Mustard Pickle Right there is the lions share of the work, folks. I skipped taking the photos of our toil, since it happened after dark, and I was up to my elbows in onions. How To Pickle Peppers Without Canning' title='How To Pickle Peppers Without Canning' />The night or the day before if youre smart peel the pearl onions. This is done by pouring boiling water over them and letting them stand for about 2 minutes. Drain and toss them into an ice water bath to keep them from overcooking. Then peel, peel, and PEEL some more. Pearl onions are very light and 3 pounds of them is a lot of onions. Also wash and slice up your pickling cucumbers. Eva specified 5. Slice them about 12 inch thick. If a cucumber is fat, half or quarter them as needed. Think bite sized pieces. Cut 2 large heads of cauliflower into small approx. Cover with cold water and stir in 1 cup of salt. Now go to bed. The next day, drain and thoroughly rinse the vegetables. Pour them into a large stock pot and cover with vinegar. Eva specified Heinz White Vinegar. Use about 12 gallon. Bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil add the dried mustard. Eva specified Colmans Mustard underlined twice. Dont you dare try and use another kind of mustard or it will be ruined. Actually I dont know what would happen if you used a different brand and Ill never find out. I wouldnt dream of messing with instructions that were underlined twice. You use both 2 oz. Oh boy, my husband is in my kitchen. I know because the spices have been measured into little glass bowls that serve no other purpose than to sit there until ready to pour into the cook pot. Youre going to need turmeric, curry powder, celery seed, and ginger. And my husband to do the dishes. The recipe also calls for salt, lots of sugar, andseeded and chopped red peppers. Add them all into the pot. Last, you are going to thicken the sauce with flour. I always ladle out a bowl of sauce and let it cool for a minute, then whisk the flour in. Pour the whole thing back into the pot. That way I dont get lumps. Simmer for 1 hour, in which time the sauce will thicken up. And then can in pint bottles. I wont get into proper canning techniques in this post, but for my altitude we canned the Mustard Pickle in a boiling water canner for 2. Leave on the counter overnight to cool. Then heres the hardest part of making Mustard Pickle. You need to wait about a month before eating, if you want to taste it in all of its glory. It needs time to cure. I can hardly wait to cook a pot roast and enjoy a heaping spoonful of Mustard Pickle on top. UPDATE  Current canning guidelines DO NOT recommend using flour in any canning recipes. Check with your local state extension service for advice on how to modify this recipe safely. And thats your jar of roasted red peppers. A time capsule of summertime fire, for anything, anytime. HomeJarred Roasted Red Peppers makes one halfpint jar. One of my favorite things to preserve from the garden are peppers. Hot peppers, sweet peppers, jalapenos, Serrano peppers, banana peppers, pimentos if it is a. Welcome to canningrecipes. Browse our recipes There is sure to be a recipe here for you. It is simple to make your own refrigerator pickled pepperoncini peppers using this method that doesnt require canning. Heres Evas recipe Evas Mustard Pickle. Heinz white vinegar approx. Colmans Mustard dried mustard3 Tablespoons salt I prefer salt without iodine for canning, ie. Tablespoon Turmeric. Tablespoon Curry Powder. Tablespoon Celery Seed. Crunchy sweet spicy freezer pickles 3 cucumbers, sliced thinly 1 large onion, sliced into rings 3 T kosher salt 810 dried peppers or a couple fresh ones. Tablespoon Powdered Ginger. The night before, chop up pickling cucumbers into 12 inch slices. Peel onions by pouring boiling water over and letting stand for about 2 minutes. Drain and place in a ice water bath to stop the cooking. Using a sharp knife cut off the ends and peel. Chop up cauliflower into 12 34 inch pieces. In a large pan or bowl, cover vegetables with cold water and add one cup of salt. Stir and set aside overnight. The next day, drain and rinse thoroughly. Pour vegetables into a large stock pot and cover with about 12 gallon vinegar. Bring to a boil.   Add mustard, salt, sugar, and other spices. Add flour to thicken and return to a boil. Chop red peppers fine and add to sauce. Simmer for 1 hour. Sauce should thicken. Using safe canning methods, bottle in pint jars in a boiling water canner. Check with your local state extension office for processing times. For my altitude in the Mountain West its 2. Makes 1. 3 pints. The role of salt in home canning. Summary of salts role in canning. In almost all home canning, salts role is flavouring it is not present in sufficient quantities to prevent spoilage or act as a preservative in terms of safety. Is it safe to do home canning without salt Yes. Any exceptions Yes. For safety reasons fermented foods such as sauerkraut and fermented pickles must continue to use real salt for the time being. When is salt not needed for safety. The National Center for Home Food Preservation says,Is it safe to can food without salt Yes. Salt is used for flavor only and is not necessary to prevent spoilage. Is it safe to can meat and poultry without salt Yes. Salt is used for flavor only and is not necessary for safe processing. Renee Boyer of Virginia Cooperative Extension says, The use of salt in canning. Salt is mainly added to enhance flavor. Salt in canning low acid foods. Angela Fraser of Clemson University in South Carolina says, Salt may be added to vegetables and tomatoes before canning. Because its only function is flavor, it can safely be omitted. Canning fruits and vegetables without adding sugar or salt does not affect the processing time or the safety of the product. The Institute of Medicine US Committee on Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake says, For many foods, reducing the sodium content of the product should not create food safety or spoilage concerns. Coleslaw Recipe For Pulled Pork on this page. Such foods include frozen products, products that are sufficiently thermally processed to kill pathogenic organisms e. H lt 3. 8  5. Linda Robbins of Cornell Cooperative Extension writes,  salt can be omitted for canning tomatoes, vegetables, meats, poultry and seafood since the amount added does not contribute to the safety of the food. Balls web site says, Can vegetables be safely canned without saltYes, vegetables may be canned without salt. The measure of salt called for in most vegetable recipes is too small to help prevent spoilage it is there only for seasoning. To prepare vegetables with less or no salt, simply omit salt or reduce the amount of salt to taste. Balls Blue Book says, The amount of salt called for in canning meats and vegetables is too small to help prevent spoilage the salt is there only for seasoning. Follow recipes for canning low acid vegetables, meats and poultry, but omit salt. Do not omit salt from seafood recipes. Its unclear why Balls Blue Book says not to omit salt from seafood recipes. Penn State Extension says that you can, when canning seafood Salt can be omitted for canning tomatoes, vegetables, meats, poultry, and seafood since the amount added does not contribute to the safety of the food. Pacific Northwest Extension also says you can leave salt out when canning seafood  Lemon juice, vinegar, salt and oil are added to maintain quality flavour, colour of canned seafood. You can leave them out  1. Ball does not give its reasons presumably it is for quality flavour, colour as Pacific Northwest explains, rather than safety. In the USDA guide, in the section on canning seafood, salt is listed as optional with most seafood recipes saying something like Add 1 Ed or 12 teaspoon salt to each pint, if desired. Salt in canning pickled items, preserves, condiments, etc. The USDA Complete Guide 2. In the making of fresh pack pickles, cucumbers are acidified quickly with vinegar. Use only tested recipes formulated to produce the proper acidity. While these pickles may be prepared safely with reduced or no salt, their quality may be noticeably lower. Both texture and flavor may be slightly, but noticeably, different than expected. You may wish to make small quantities first to determine if you like them. However, the salt used in making fermented sauerkraut and brined pickles not only provides characteristic flavor but also is vital to safety and texture. In fermented foods, salt favors the growth of desirable bacteria while inhibiting the growth of others. Caution Do not attempt to make sauerkraut or fermented pickles by cutting back on the salt required. Patricia Kendall of Colorado State University Extension writes,Any fresh pack pickle recipe that calls for as much or more vinegar than water and provides a finished product with at least 14 cup of 5 percent acid vinegar per pint jar of pickled products can be safely made without salt. Sweet pickles generally taste better without salt than dill pickles. If salt is omitted from fresh pack dill pickles, try adding hot peppers, herbs and garlic instead. Dill pickles taste better if as little as 0. This is the equivalent of 12 to 34 teaspoon of salt per pint jar of pickles. Oregon State Extension says,Salt can be removed from most fresh pack or quick pickles without affecting the safety of the product if the recipe contains as much or more vinegar than water or other liquid. In other words, if the recipe calls for one quart water, it should have at least one quart vinegar, as a rule of thumb. Vinegar may even be the only liquid ingredient. Barb Ingham at University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension writes,Use the amount of sugar and salt called for in the recipe, or you can reduce the amount of either of these ingredients in a quick process pickle recipe as they are added for flavor and not for safety. For safety sake always use the amount of vinegar called for in a tested recipe, using vinegar that is 5 acetic acid 5 acidity. Dr Ingham goes on to further say in another publication,You may safely reduce sugar or salt in any tested quick process pickle. The amount and type of salt listed in a recipe for sauerkraut ed a fermented product or genuine dill crock ed fermented pickles can not be changed. You can rinse sauerkraut prior to serving and reduce the amount of sodium by 3. Ball Cannings FAQ says,Q I am following a low sodium diet. May I safely can my pickle recipes with less salt A Only fresh pack or quick pickle recipes may be safely adjusted to reduce salt. Reducing the amount of salt or omitting the salt from fresh pack pickle recipes will change the flavor and texture of the finished pickled product. Salt is an important ingredient in fermented and brined pickle recipes. It should not be reduced or omitted when preparing this type of recipe. When is salt absolutely needed for safety in home canned goodsThere are a handful of home canned items for which salt free alternatives cant be safely developed. These include fermented and brined items. Dont try to home can such items with reduced or no salt. The National Center for Home Food Preservation cautions that the salt used in making fermented sauerkraut and brined pickles not only provides characteristic flavor but also is vital to safety and texture. In fermented foods, salt favors the growth of desirable bacteria while inhibiting the growth of others. Caution Do not attempt to make sauerkraut or fermented pickles by cutting back on the salt required. Patricia Kendall of Colorado State University Extension writes, Always add the amount of salt specified in brined pickles and cured and smoked foods. Salt is needed for the safe preservation of these foods 1. Barbara Ingham at the University of Wisconsin says, Do not alter the amount of salt in fermented pickles. Salt concentration is very important in fermentation. Too little salt will cause microbes to grow and allow spoilage to occur. Balls web site says, Salt is an important ingredient in fermented and brined pickle recipes. It should not be reduced or omitted when preparing this type of recipe.