Pickle ,Chutney & Relish Beginner

[craggle58]

I am going to try making pickles etc. this year with excess vegetables and fruit as I have seriously over produced. What are good recipes for beginners? Do I need to buy a really big saucepan and sterilising kits? My excess veg will include:

Onions & shallots (plan to use all those that bolt)
Courgettes, pumpkin and butternut squash (I never know what to do with courgettes)
Cabbage, Brocolli and Cauliflower
Garlic
Tomatoes and chillis
Cucumber
Potatoes
Celeriac
Cucumber
Apples, Pear and plums
Raspberry, blackberry and strawberry
Runner, french and climbing beans
Beetroot
Fennel, sage, oregano, basil and parsley

I fancy making fruity chutneys and would love a great recipe for picalili.

[craggle58]

[lifesahaze]

Go for it!  I wish you much joy with your pickling - it's so satisfying!   

I do loads, but you don't need masses of expensive stuff.  I have a large pan - but not ridiculously huge.  I sterilise my jars generally in the oven, as I'm not a fan of sterilising solutions (tho will use it if I really have to.  The one thing I'd recommend is a jar funnel: it's made things so much easier and less messy when you're putting all your pickled goodness into your jars. 

Will have a look through my recipes - are you an exact recipe follower, or are you happy with approximates? 

[craggle58]

Thanks for reply. I have been looking at pans on amazon and found this for £25.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Buckingham-Stainless-Steel-LARGE-Stock/dp/B003DC88FQ/ref=sr_1_4?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1401816451&sr=1-4&keywords=large+saucepans

I am not fussy about recipes and tend to just hope for the best as far as ingredient quantities go. Besides with allotment produce it will be a case of using whats done well and  most abundant. I think I'll have to do the cooking at my folks' house as my cooker has electric rings and they have gas which tends to be more controllable for simmering stuff. Is it a case of adding sugar and stuff to get the consistency right? Also will I need a lot of  cupboard spices?

[daveylamp993]

I use the John Torrode Piccallili recipe from the BBC Good Food website,although I blanch the cauliflower for 2 minutes to slightly soften it a little,thats just personal preference,and I always cool it in cold running water from the tap,and dry it on a clean tea towel afterwards,it keeps for ages too.

[lifesahaze]

That pan'd do it!  One of the good thing about the straight sided ones is that it doesn't spit so much over the side. 

I must admit, my favourite 'recipe' is my end of season chutney, where basically I throw chopped green/red tomatoes, peppers, chillies, an apple or two and anything else that's probably not going to ripen into a pan - add an onion or two and a bit of garlic, and enough (white wine) vinegar to pretty much cover.  The main spices I use (if any) in this chutney is either cumin or garam masala.  Bubble away for half an hour or so, not letting it bubble dry, then add sugar to taste (or to smell - I go by smell more than flavour)  and sultanas if you fancy.  Cook until it's a thick gooey consistency - then pot up into sterilised jars. 

Another one I make every year is chilli and apple jelly - it's a really good one to use with cheese, or to add a spoonful to gravies, sauces, etc.  Peel and chop a few apples and soften down in enough water to cover well.  When your apples are cooked, you can strain them if you want to - I must admit, I don't as I don't like wasting the apples.  I usually use about a bag of granulated sugar for a couple of pints of liquid - warm the sugar in the oven, then add to apple mixture.  Add  chopped chillies and turn up the heat.  Boil until jellified - it's done when a small amount cooled on a plate wrinkles when you run your finger  through it - and pot up in sterilised jars.

Enjoy!  I hope someone can give you a picallili recipe!

[craggle58]

That sounds like an excellent use for the inevitable green tomatoes at the end of the year. Someone told me that in Mediterranean countries people like to buy them green for eating. It always seemed like such a waste not to use them somehow and I'll definitely use them this year.

[Jayb]

Thanks for reply. I have been looking at pans on amazon and found this for £25.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Buckingham-Stainless-Steel-LARGE-Stock/dp/B003DC88FQ/ref=sr_1_4?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1401816451&sr=1-4&keywords=large+saucepans

I love the Kitchen Craft Maslin pan http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kitchen-Craft-Stainless-Maslin-Handle/dp/B0000C0TFF (might be cheaper elsewhere) Nice thick base which doesn't catch or stick, is a breeze to wash up, nice and wide at the top and is marked in litres and pints on the inside. Excellent for jams, chutneys, relish, marmalades etc

[Jayb]

A couple of piccalilli recipes here
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,63343.msg647370.html#msg647370

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,22750.msg233956.html#msg233956