Blue Ribbon Horseradish Pickles Recipes

SNAPPY HORSERADISH DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• Drain and discard juice from pickles. Slice pickles into spears and return to jar. Add horseradish. In a saucepan, bring the sugar, water and vinegar to a boil. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Pour over pickles. Cool completely. Cover jar and shake. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

CUCUMBER ESSENTIALS: YUMMY HORSERADISH DILL PICKLE

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. The best pickles for this recipe are the small pickling variety; however, I have tried them with just about every variety, and loved them all.
• 3. Getting a crispy pickle. There are several reasons why your pickles might not be as crispy as you want. One of reasons is that you did not cut off the flowering end of the pickle. That is the end that is attached to the vine before picking. There is a nasty little enzyme in the blossom end of a cucumber will cause the finished pickles to be softer. So, wash them well, and cut that end off. Another secret is to add a bit of black tea to the brine. The tannins in the tea help to keep the pickles crisp. Any good black tea should do fine.
• 4. This recipe calls for using horseradish, not horseradish cream. Get the real thing. I use Bubbies, Prepared Horseradish, but any good brand should do.
• 5. Regular salt has ingredients in it that can hamper the fermentation process... use kosher salt.
• 6. Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
• 7. Add the vinegar, sugar, salt, dill, and mustard to a small saucepan, over medium heat.
• 8. Bring to the boil, and then down to a simmer, and keep it at the simmer for about 15 minutes.
• 9. Strain out the dill seeds, and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
• 10. Add the horseradish, and black tea leaves (if using), whisk together, and place in the fridge, to fully cool, about 30 minutes.
• 11. While the brine is cooling, wash the cucumbers, cut off the flowering end. Then, cut into desired shapes (slices, wedges, etc.).
• 12. Add pickles to a jar, place in some carrot sticks, and peppercorns, if using, pour in the cooled brine solution, then seal.
• 13. Place the jar on your countertop, and once a day loosen the lid to release any built-up pressure.
• 14. After a few days, open it up and take a bite. If you like what you tasted, reseal, and put them into the fridge to stop the fermentation process. If they are not quite there yet, wait another day or two, and take another taste. I have had good pickles in as little as 5 days, and as long as 25 days. But, it is worth the wait.
• 15. PLATE/PRESENT
• 16. Serve as you would any other pickles. Enjoy.
• 17. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

BLUE RIBBON DILL PICKLES

Steps:

• GET ALL OF THIS GOING BEFORE FILLING THE JARS.
• Wash 7 quart jars in hot, soapy water (or dishwasher), rinse and fill with hot water; set aside.
• Fill canning kettle half-full with hottest tap water; set on burner over high heat.
• In a medium saucepan, fit lids and rings together, cover with water, bring to a simmer.
• In a large saucepan, bring water, vinegar and salt to boil; turn off the heat; set aside.
• FILL JARS: place a layer of dill at the bottom of each jar, along with one garlic clove (if used), then TIGHTLY load the cukes into the jar to the NECK of the jar (depending on size you may get two nice layers with a few small cukes in the top--)---squeeze cukes into the jar tightly--uniform size helps; add a few TINY spriglets of dill at the top, too, and another garlic clove if desired.
• Once jars are loaded, pour in the brine leaving half-inch head space in each jar.
• Add lid and ring to each jar, tightening evenly.
• Place jars into canner with water JUST to the necks of the jars.
• Bring water ALMOST to a boil (about 15 minutes--depending on how fast it heats up).
• Remove jars, set on a dish towel on the kitchen counter, cover with another dish towel & let cool.
• Check for seal (indented lid), label jars or lids, store in cool dark cellar or cupboard.
• NOTES: When washing/scrubbing cukes, sort them into piles by size. This really helps make your jars look nicer, if you have uniform sizes (and this impresses the judges too!). And makes for easier packing, too.