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Pickles and Relishes

Source: University of Wisconsin

Pickles and relishes are first cousins. For pickles, you leave vegetables whole, or cut them to size for the recipe. For relishes, however, you chop vegetables and/or fruits before you put them into a vinegar mixture.

You can use many kinds of firm-fleshed vegetables or fruit. Some hold their shape and texture well in pickles, such as the pickling type of cucumber.

Sort cucumbers according to size, such as: small gherkins, one to two inches; small pickles, two to three inches; medium pickles, three to four inches; large pickles, 4 inches and over. The larger, more mature cucumbers along with the odd shaped ones are best used in relishes.

Seal, process and store pickle products like other home-canned foods. However, pickle flavors reach their peak only after one or more weeks in the jars.

Pickle products require heat treatment to destroy organisms that cause spoilage and to inactivate enzymes that may affect flavor, color and texture. You can adequately heat them in a boiling water bath canner.

There are four classes of pickles:

1. Fresh pack or unfermented pickles: The vinegar in the recipe preserves the fruit or vegetable. You can make vegetables directly into pickles without soaking in salt brine, or you can soak them a short time. Quick pickles are easy to make.

2. Relishes: Combine chopped vegetables or fruits with vinegar, salt, sugar and spices.

3. Fruit pickles: Heat whole or sliced fruit in a spicy sweet-sour syrup.

4. Brined or cured pickles (fermented): Hold vegetables in a salt solution for several weeks until cured. During this time, changes in color, flavor and texture take place. You can make them sweet, sour, dill or mustard pickles.

If you require further information, please contact your county office of the NDSU Extension Service.

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