Can Jam October: Corn Relish

I love sweet corn!  My family, however,  is officially sick of eating corn on the cob this season.   While I never tire of it, it happens every year...this time it was my son announced at dinner the other night that he would not eat any more.  "We have it, like, every night, Mom", he announced, and my husband nodded his head in agreement.  "You'll miss it come winter!" I warned them, but they would not be convinced.    What to do with it all?  Corn can be pressure canned, but it's far better blanched and removed from the cob and frozen.    However, this year, I am going to try something a little different - corn relish.   Linda Ziedrich, in her wonderful book Joy of Pickling describes it as an old fashioned stand in for salad when served chilled, or it can be mixed with cooked rice for a side dish.  I've tasted corn relish before - it's sweet and tangy... it's one of those things everyone's grandma used to put by.   I can't wait to crack into a jar come January!   
Linda's recipe omits the usual turmeric and powdered mustard typically found in corn relish recipes, like this one from the National Center for Home Food Preservation or this one  from Ball.   It usually makes the brine cloudy.  My suggested tweaks to her recipe is to use hot peppers instead of the mild peppers for something a little different, and use honey instead of the brown sugar if you like.   


Corn Relish - Sweet or Spicy
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2 qts. (18 ears) fresh corn kernels
2 c. diced green bell peppers (3 large) or a mix of mild and hot
2 c. diced red bell peppers (3 large) or a mix of mild and hot
2 cups chopped onions (4 medium)
1/4 c. chopped garlic (1 head)
1 T. pickling salt
2 T. whole yellow mustard seeds
1 qt. cider vinegar
2/3 c. firmly packed light brown sugar or honey

Bring all ingredients to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Pack relish in jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.    I think it is time for corn relish to make a comeback, along with another old timey relish called piccalilli (or chow chow).   I am going to give those a try in the coming weeks.

Spiced Apple Rings

Today at the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market, I will be demonstrating how to can apples.   This recipe is from the National Center for Home Food Preservation which is an outstanding resource funded by the USDA and the state's extension services.   It's the place to find answers to all of your canning questions.   Spiced apple rings are technically a sweet pickle, and I fondly remember them from my youth.  On vacation one time, we were at a restaurant that featured what we called a "smorgasbord" and they had a bowl of spiced apple rings in their bright fluorescent red dyed glory.  I ate them all!  Here's my shot at making them myself, sans the red food coloring.  

Spiced Apple Rings

12 lbs firm tart apples (maximum diameter 2-1/2 inches)

12 cups sugar

6 cups water

1-1/4 cups white vinegar (5%)

3 tbsp whole cloves

8 cinnamon sticks

Yield: About 8 to 9 pints

Wash apples. To prevent discoloration, peel and slice one apple at a time. Immediately cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices, remove core area with a melon baller and immerse in ascorbic acid solution. To make flavored syrup, combine sugar water, vinegar, cloves, cinnamon sticks and in a 6-qt saucepan. Stir, heat to boil, and simmer 3 minutes. Drain apples, add to hot syrup, and cook 5 minutes. Fill jars (preferably wide-mouth) with apple rings and hot flavored syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Sweet Pumpkin Pickles and Jardiniere

This weekend, I am teaching a class for Ann Arbor Rec and Ed about making pickles. These two recipes are the ones we are going to make in the class...both inspired by recipes I saw in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.  and The Joy of Pickling. I've tweaked them a little to make them work out for my class of 6.

Sweet Pumpkin Pickles
Makes about 6 pints

Brine:
2 cinnamon sticks, halved
12 whole allspice
10 whole cloves
1 lemon
6 c. granulated sugar
4 c. white vinegar

Pumpkin
6 lbs pie pumpkins (depends on size) to make 24 cups peeled seeded pie pumpkin cut into 3/4 inch cubes

Tie spices in a square of cheesecloth; set aside.  Zest lemon, remove pith and separate sections from the membrane and coarsely chop.  Squeeze any juice from the membrane into a stainless steel pot, and add zest and sections.  Add spice bag, sugar and vinegar and boil for 10 minutes.  Add pumpkin and heat through, about 3 minutes.

Pack pumpkin into hot pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Ladle hot syrup into jars leaving 1/2 inch space. Process for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Jardiniere
Makes about 6 pints

Prepare 12 cups fall vegetables, including pepper strips, pattypan squash, carrots, shallots, cauliflower florets.  Prepare 5 pint jars.  Into each jar, place....

a garlic clove
4 peppercorns
4 allspice berries
a fresh tarragon sprig -OR-  a bay leaf
a fresh thyme sprig -OR- a oregano sprig
a fresh hot pepper or two

Fill each jar with vegetables. Prepare a brine with:

2 3/4 c. white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
2 1/2 c. water
5 t. pickling salt

Bring brine to a boil in a non reactive pot, stirring to dissolve the salt.   Pour brine over vegetables, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Cap and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.   Store jars in a cool dark space for a month.