Food in Jars

Food in Jars by Marisa McClellan Page B

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Authors: Marisa McClellan
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cut the little ones in half. Just aim to have everything in a generally uniform size as it goes into the jar.

GINGERY PICKLED BEETS
    M Y MOTHER ADORES BEETS. WHILE SHE WAS PREGNANT with me, she regularly guzzled Manischewitz borscht straight from the jar. I too am an avowed beet lover. This particular pickle was inspired by a recipe for pickled golden beets that Kevin West posted on his beautiful blog, Saving the Season. I will be forever appreciative for his nudge to spike beet brine with a shot of ginger.
MAKES 3 (1-PINT/500 ML) JARS
    2 pounds/910 g red beets
    2 cups/480 ml apple cider vinegar
    2 tablespoons pickling salt
    1 cup/200 g sugar
    1 cinnamon stick
    1 (2-inch/5 cm) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
    Scrub the beets, removing the greens and long roots. Place the beets in a pot and cover with water. Simmer over medium heat until the beets are just tender, about 30 to 45 minutes depending on the size of your beets. Drain and rinse with cold water. When the beets are cool enough to handle, rub the skins off with your fingers. (Wear plastic gloves or resealable plastic bags on your hands if you’re averse to pink-stained skin.) Trim the unwieldy ends, cut the beets into wedges, and set aside.
    Prepare a boiling water bath and 4 regular-mouth 1-pint/500 ml jars according to the process on page 10. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
    Combine the vinegar, 2 cups/480 ml water, salt, sugar, cinnamon stick, and ginger slices in a pot and bring the brine to a boil.
    Meanwhile, pack the beet wedges into the sterilized jars. Slowly pour the hot brine over the beets in each jar (making sure to include 2 to 3 ginger slices in each jar), leaving ½ inch/12 mm headspace. Gently tap the jars on a towel-lined countertop to help loosen any bubbles before using a wooden chopstick to dislodge any remaining bubbles. Check the headspace again and add more brine if necessary.
    Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (see page 11 ).
    Let these pickles cure for at least 1 week before eating.

SWEET-AND-SOUR PICKLED RED ONIONS
    I F YOU WERE TO PLOT CONDIMENTS ON A FAMILY TREE, you’d find that these pickled red onions are the wild-child granddaughter of caramelized onion jam and the second cousin of the hot dog relish you find at the ball park. They are sophisticated, a little bit slippery, and equally at home draped across a hamburger or dolloped on a salad of baby arugula.
MAKES 3 (1-PINT/500 ML) JARS
    2 cups/480 ml apple cider vinegar
    Â¾ cup/150 g granulated sugar
    2 tablespoons pickling salt
    3 pounds/1.4 kg red onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
    2 teaspoons mustard seed
    1 teaspoon celery seed
    Â½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
    Prepare a boiling water bath and 3 regular-mouth pint jars according to the process on page 10. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
    Combine the vinegar, 1½ cups/360 ml water, sugar, and salt in a pot over high heat and bring the brine to a boil.
    Add sliced onions to brine and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium and simmer briefly to soften onions.
    Meanwhile, combine the remaining spices in a small bowl and stir to blend. Add the spice blend to the sterilized jars, distributing evenly.
    Using tongs, evenly divide the onions between the 3 jars. Pour hot brine into each jar, leaving ½ inch/12 mm headspace. Gently tap the jars on a towel-lined countertop to help loosen any bubbles before using a wooden chopstick to dislodge any remaining bubbles. Check the headspace again and add more brine if necessary.
    Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (see page 11 ).
    Let these pickles cure for at least 48 hours before eating.

PICKLED GREEN TOMATOES
    G RDENERS NEVER KNOW WHETHER THEY’LL HAVE a bumper crop of ripe tomatoes or gallons of green tomatoes issuing forth from their

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