Dear Lord…I’ve grown a monster! If only Jack climbed pickle vines instead of the beanstalk…he could have offered the giant a peace offering of giant pickles!
My last 2 weekends have been spent canning pickles…in all sizes of jars…because here in the heartland they are hoarding jars like the crazies hoarded toilet paper last year. One more weekend of pickling and the rest are getting donated or traded for veggies which didn’t do so well. This weekend it’s going to be dill relish…12 half pints…then I’m done with the pickles until next year!
I did a little experiment this year on my bread and butter pickles…I made them keto friendly…and those who have sampled couldn’t tell the difference. See my recipe at the end of this blog post.
One of the things I like most about growing and canning my own food is I know what I’m putting into my body…at least when I eat at home. Is it a lot of hot, dirty work…sure it is! But it’s worth every minute to me. Not that I’m a health fanatic…I’m not…you can find me eating McDonald’s or Wendy’s or tossing back mimosas or moonshine on Saturday or Sunday…day drinking in the pool…stuffing my face with a nice piece of pecan pie…but honestly for the most part I do try to limit my intake of junk. Except when I’m binge writing to bring a new novel your way. This week has been full of vampire, sex, and thrills as I rattle through Lone Vengeance which is up for pre-order at Amazon. Want to know more or read some excerpts? Check out my FB page at www.Facebook.com/TeresaAKeefer
Also, don’t forget to check out Hope Harbor anthology which releases next week! All proceeds will be donated to Operation Underground Railroad!
As promised…here is my keto friendly bread and butter pickle recipe: (makes 4-5 pints)
Slice enough Cucumbers to fill a large mixing bowl and add one medium onion sliced. Cover with 2-3 tbsp kosher salt and toss to coat. Put in fridge to chill for 4 hours.
Bring the following to a boil, stirring constantly:
2 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups granulated stevia or monk fruit
2 cups water
1 tbsp mustard seed
1tbsp celery seed
1 tbsp turmeric
10 allspice berries
10 whole cloves
Make sure to sterilize your jars (I put in the oven while I’m cooking the juice). Stuff jars with the pickles you refrigerated and add enough of the hot pickle juice to each jar. Put the lids on and cold pack for 15 minutes. That is it!! Easy Peasy!
Come back and visit often and if there is a topic you’d like me to talk about on my blog…drop me a line!!