Garden of Friendship - Jams, Jellies, and Pickles

Chinese Mixed Pickles Submitted by: Cricket
3 large carrots 1 large chinese white radish 1 large cucumber 4 stalks celery	8 green onions 4 oz fresh ginger root 1 large red pepper 1 large green pepper
Pickling Solution 3 cups sugar 3 cups white vinegar 1 1/2 cups water 1 1/2 teaspoons salt For Pickling Liquid: Combine all ingredients in a 3 quart saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until liquid boils. Remove from heat. Cool. For Pickles: Wash all vegetables. Pare carrots and radish. Cut cucumber lengthwise into quarters and remove seeds. Cut carrots, radish and cucumber into "match stick" thin strips about 2 inches long. Cut celery into 1/4 inch diagonal slices. Remove seeds from peppers and cut peppers into 1/2 inch cubes. Fill a 5 quart Dutch oven half full of water. Cover and cook over heat until water boils. Uncover and add all vegetables. Remove from heat immediately. Let vegetables stand uncovered for 2 minutes. Drain vegetables in a large colander. Spread vegetables out on clean towels and allow to dry for 2 to 3 hours. Pack the vegetables firmly into clean jars with lids. Pour the pickling solution into the jars until the vegetables are completely covered. Cover jars tightly. Store in refrigerator for at least 1 week before using. Makes 1-1/2 to 2 quarts.

14-Day Sweet Pickles Submitted by: Cricket
4 lb pickling cucumbers (2- to 5-inch) 3/4 cup canning or pickling salt (separated in thirds) 2 teaspoons celery seed	2 tablespoons mixed pickling spices 5 1/2 cups sugar 4 cups vinegar (5 percent)
Wash cucumbers. Cut 1/16-inch slice off blossom end and discard, but leave 1/4-inch of stem attached. Place whole cucumbers in suitable 1-gallon container. Add 1/4 cup canning or pickling salt to 2 quarts water and bring to a boil. Pour over cucumbers. Add suitable cover and weight. Place clean towel over container and keep the temperature at about 70°F. On the third and fifth days, drain salt water and discard. Rinse cucumbers and rescald cover and weight. Return cucumbers to container. Add 1/4 cup salt to 2 quarts fresh water and boil. Pour over cucumbers. Replace cover and weight, and re-cover with clean towel. On the seventh day, drain salt water and discard. Rinse cucumbers and rescald containers, cover, and weight. Slice or strip cucumbers, if desired, and return to container. Place celery seed and pickling spices in small cheesecloth bag. Combine 2 cups sugar and 4 cups vinegar in a saucepan. Add spice bag, bring to a boil and pour pickling solution over cucumbers. Add cover and weight, and re-cover with clean towel. On each of the next six days, drain syrup and spice bag and save. Add 1/2 cup sugar each day and bring to a boil in a saucepan. Remove cucumbers and rinse. Scald container, cover, and weight daily. Return cucumbers to container, add boiled syrup, cover, weight, and re-cover with towel. On the 14th day, drain syrup into saucepan. Fill sterile pint jars (for more information see "Jars and Lids") or clean quart jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Add 1/2 cup sugar to syrup and bring to boil. Remove spice bag. Pour hot syrup over cucumbers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

Sweet Indian Lemon Pickles Submitted by: Cricket
9 lemons 4 tablespoons coarse or kosher salt 1 1/2 tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted, ground 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper	3 cups sugar 2 tablespoons seedless raisins 8 dried, hot red peppers
Wash the lemons in cold water and dry thoroughly. Quarter 6 of the lemons from the top almost all the way through to the bottom, leaving about 1/2 inch so they'll hold together. Squeeze the juice from the other lemons. Mix the salt, cumin and black pepper in a small dish, and mix thoroughly with the lemons, Stuff the lemons into a quart jar and pour in the lemon juice. Cover with cheesecloth to prevent dirt from getting in the jar, and let sit in the open for about 1 week. On the 7th day, pour the juices from the jar into an enamel or stainless steel pan, add the sugar and cook over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemons and cook, stirring gently, for 8 minutes or so. Stir in the raisins and peppers. Put the lemons in a sterilized jar and seal with the lid. Let sit for a week or so before eating. Use like you would any pickle, as an accompaniment.

To submit your favorite recipes to be included in the Garden of Friendship Recipe Book, please email them to Barbiel

Background graphics made especially for the Recipes Committee of the Garden of Friendship by Valatine