Ways to Save the Harvest in Relishes, Chutneys and Pickles
Make now and enjoy later. Here are 6 of our favorite tried and true recipes for tasty accents to winter meals preserved by canning, freezing or just storing in the refrigerator. Use them in a variety of ways to bring summer color and zing to sandwiches, snacks and dinner fare. You and your family will be glad you did!
Personally taste-tested and recommended by Seed Library Coordinators Linda Hamilton, Karen Tuininga, and Margaret Woodruff.
DILLY BEANS
A popular classic, and a good one to start with if you are new to canning. It’s also a great way to use green beans that grew big faster than you could eat them. The recipe is from Margaret’s well-loved copy of Keeping the Harvest, published in 1976 by Charlotte’s own Garden Way Publishing. Dilly Beans
BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES
Margaret and Linda’s East Charlotte neighbor Lee taught Linda to can using this recipe for easy and versatile sliced pickles. They’re perfect for almost any kind of sandwich or burger, and for making tartar sauce. A good way to utilize larger cucumbers. Bread and Butter Pickles
SWEET REFRIGERATOR RELISH
Karen likes how this easy relish brings the taste and colors of summer to not only hot dogs and burgers and sandwiches, but also to potato or macaroni salads; and it also pairs well with ham. No canning needed; it will keep at least 6 months in refrigerator or freezer. Made with cucumbers, zucchini or summer squash, and red and yellow sweet peppers. Sweet Refrigerator Relish
GREAT GRANDMA EMMY’S SWEET CHILI SAUCE
This is meatloaf’s best friend, and also good on baked fish or scrambled eggs! Great Grandma Emmy is gone, but her recipe lives on in Linda’s family. Made with tomatoes, onion, green peppers, celery, brown sugar and a hint of dry mustard and cinnamon. Canned so it lasts until tomatoes are ripe again. Sweet Chili Sauce
TOMATO CHUTNEY
To wake up your taste buds and add flavor depth (but not fire) to simple meat or vegetable or grain dishes, try this delicious chutney. It’s a simple way to capture a bit of Southeast Asian flavor and hold it in your refrigerator for several weeks. Tomato Chutney
MUSTARD PICKLES
This condiment takes savory in a different direction with bite-size chunks of cauliflower, celery, cucumber, onion and sweet red pepper in a mustard/turmeric sauce. A bright and tangy addition to almost any plate, but especially good with cheese or simple meat dishes. Mustard Pickles
New to canning?
You’ll find clear and reliable guides to hot water bath and pressure cooker equipment and the canning process to use with each, in The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving edited by Judi Kingy and Lauren Devine. Find it in the Preserving/641 section of Charlotte Library.
Want to explore more recipes?
Margaret recommends these books, also in the Preserving/641 section of the Library:
The Pickled Pantry, from apples to zucchini, 150 recipes for pickles, relishes, chutneys and more by local food author Andrea Chesman.
The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving noted above has been the standard reference for generations of families. The 2006 edition includes 400 delicious-sounding and creative recipes for today’s tastes.
Preserving by the Pint, quick seasonal canning for small spaces by Marisa McClellan. This fun book takes you beyond the current season to tantalizing choices for preserving what’s available at different times of year. And the recipes are cut down to small batches of 2-3 pints or less, so you can stock your pantry with a variety of savory and sweet condiments instead of many jars of the same thing.
Have fun!
Charlotte Seed Library 