Eight quarts of picalilli!
I don't can much aside from picalilli, but I really wish I did. There's something so satisfying about seeing all those pretty jars lining your pantry. But picalilli is about more than just using up summer produce for me - it's about fond family memories and food that looks, smells and tastes like this time of year.
Are there any favorite pickles or preserves you make every year?
*❤*
Now, I believe picalilli has numerous interpretations (it may vary by region, I'm not sure), but this is how my mum and I make it. We follow my grandmother's recipe which she followed for years - though I'm not sure where she got it originally. That's a picture of Gram below and a very old recipe card that belonged to her sister, my Great Aunt Frannie).
(I use this tiny glass rooster stand for holding my daily chore cards - I like to keep Gram's picture here too because - well, for one thing, I miss her - and for another, doing my daily chores makes me think of her; she was a wonderful example of a loving, earnest and truly happy housekeeper. When I take care of my daily tasks I think of my gram and let her spirit encourage me. ❤)
Ok, but back to the picalilli!
So I started with 15 pounds of green tomatoes which I purchased from a local farm. I don't grow my own tomatoes - not for lack of trying, mind you - but my grandmother would use tomatoes from my grandfather's garden. In later years, after my grandfather passed, we would start stalking local farms in August to determine who could provide us with the green (unripe) tomatoes we'd need. (Sometimes you have to ask - not all farms put the green tomatoes out front.)
In addition to the tomatoes, I chopped up three red peppers and three lbs. of organic onions ...
I had to divide the vegetables between two large pots because I didn't have a kettle large enough for the whole mix! (It's on my list for next year!)
So I did this Sunday night, and then sprinkled a cup of salt over the vegetables (half over each pot) and then let them sit overnight.
On Labor Day morning, the salted vegetables had sweated quite a bit, so first we (my mum and I) drained off the accumulated liquid. Then we added one bunch of celery, chopped fine, as well as one quart of cider vinegar and a bag of pickling spice.
(We use McCormick's Pickling Spice - the whole 1.5 oz. jar divided, and wrapped in cheesecloth bags.)
Then we added seven "teacups" of sugar ...
This was the measurement my grandmother used, her Irish china teacup ...
We gently mixed the ingredients and then set the pots to high, just to bring the temperature up, then back to medium to cook for 45 minutes.
As the picalili bubbles away on the stove, I just love inhaling that spicy-sweet smell ...
Once the picalilli is finished cooking, we removed it from the heat and then filled our prepared jars:
(Prepared as in, washed and sanitized through the dishwasher, then dried well.)
We processed the sealed jars in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Note: my grandmother never used to do this, but Mum and I decided to take this extra step.
Final product: eight jars of Labor Day Picalilli!
Picalilli is a tangy-sweet relish, a lovely condiment to all kinds of meals. Last night Bill had some on his burger and dipped his steak fries in it as well. Tonight I'll serve it with meatloaf, baked potatoes and farmstand corn - as part of a special "back to school" supper. It's truly a seasonal and sentimental favorite!
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Well my friends, I hope your week's going well. Are your kids back to school? Are you working out a new routine? It's hard to believe summer - for all intents and purposes - is over, but honestly? I'm more than ready for fall. :)
Thanks so much for stopping by ... I will see you here again very soon!
❤
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