I want to start canning at home, but I have run into a couple issues. First its not the season for farm fresh veggies, 2 idk where the hell I would find “pickling cucumbers” even if it was the season.
so if I am making a small batch of relish, say a jar or 2 while I learn the process. is there any reason I can’t just hit the grocery store and pick up veggies there and use standard issue cucumbers?
pickling cucumbers are the little ones. Grocery store produce tends to be less than optimal in terms of taste and freshness as well as more expensive this time of year. you can certainly still try your hand at canning but it will not be as good most likely than in the summer and fall.
the pickling cucumbers have a differnt water consistancy than salad cucumbers. I have seen the pickling ones for sale at the supermarket. I think the “English” cucumbers would be the closer than salad cucumbers.
The pickling cucumbers are the smallish, greenish and whitish cucumbers. You find them in the market, and they look like the pickles you find in the deli or the grocery jars. Well, similar, they a noticeably less vinegar saturated. The salad cucumbers, nearly 2 ft long, dark green solid color, sometimes advertised as seedless or burpless, have, as was noted above, too much moisture to make a good pickle.
the only cucumbers I can think of seeing at the stores around here are the salad type.
I also realize that the taste will be off, thats not really a concern. I mostly dont want to die and get some experience at the same time. sounds like I can give it a shot,
During the winter I usually just stick to canning broth. I did 18 cups of beef broth Saturday. I had a rack of bones left from our Christmas prime rib roast and it made an excellent broth. I also buy frozen turkeys when they are on sale during the holidays so I can can them in January. You do have to have a pressure canner to can meats and broths though.
There are so many things to put up in canning, why do relish when it’s not the season? Could you can some squash or other veggie that’s in season right now?
Pickled daikon is something you can make now, or pickled jalapeños. Or apple butter, or orange marmalade. Is citrus in season where you live?
I don’t think any product that includes pickling has the potential to kill you. With enough salt and vinegar, your end product will not foster botulism spores.
Pickles and relish can be canned using the water bath method. Broth, meat, and non-pickled veggies need a pressure canner.
You can pickle almost ANYTHING. Onions are plentiful now, and they make a DANDY relish!
~VOW
If you wait until late January/early February, you may find South American pickling cucumbers in the stores as they come into season.
If you’re practicing making relish, you can use the salad cukes now. They may not hold up as well texturally to the canning process, but they taste the same.
I loooooooooooooooove pickled green beans, and the process is 95% the same as making dill pickles. Green beans are available year round, and cheap. Just sayin’…
the small are called picklers and the large ones are called slicers.
you can pickle what has water and sugars in it and would rot if left alone. less dense things pickle easy so sliced pickles or relishes are a good start.
To reduce the water content of the slicers, you could put them in a bowl or strainer sprinkled with salt for about an hour. This will draw out the moisture. After an hour or so, you just rinse the salt off.