Pickling Time !
When you get to the bottom of your jar of pickle , it is time to make more . We make pickle around every three months , though lately it has been longer than we would have liked .
The history of pickle is quite interesting because it was almost exclusively a middle class food . Using sugar and vinegar as preserving materials , as well as salt , made it beyond the reach of the average family . However , the railways and farming of sugar beet changed all that . Moreover , the extension of the British Empire to India brought soldiers home with a taste for sweetened preserves .
Victorian kitchens took advantage of the availability of sugar and made all kinds of delicacies , which reflected the numerous fruits and vegetables grown in Victorian gardens . Unfortunately goodies like quince jelly and fruit butter are rarely made these days and cauliflower or cucumber pickle are equally rare .
But a couple of wonders are still on the menu from Victorian times worthy of mention . What we call Pickled onions are nothing like their Victorian counterparts . The modern version has been diluted so much that they are hardly recognizable . Victorian pickled onions contained herbs and mustard seeds . However Brown pickle , along with mustard piccalilli and HP sauce are still around .
Delicious with home made bread and a pint of bitter !
How to make Brown Pickle
This recipe is fairly easy to create , and really does have a tang . If you haven ’ t got all the ingredients then you can replace them with others , but the dates and apples are really important .
Makes 2 large jars
• 250g ( 10oz ) Peeled and chopped carrots - 5mm or 1 / 4 inch
• 1 medium peeled swede , chopped into cubes 5mm or 1 / 4in
• 4 - 5 garlic cloves , grated
• 125g ( 4oz ) dated , finely chopped
• 2 onions , peeled and chopped
• 2 medium apples , cored peeled and chopped finely
• 15 small gherkins chopped
• 250g ( 10 oz ) soft brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 500 ml ( 1 pint ) malt vinegar
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 2 teaspoons allspice
1 . Combine all the ingredients in a large pan and slowly bring to the boil .
2 . When the pickle is boiling , turn the heat down to a simmer and stir every few minutes or so to keep the mix from catching on the pan bottom .
Piccalilli
This is the north of England ’ s pickle , loved with bacon and egg as well as sandwiches .
Makes 2 large jars
• 2.5 Kg vegetables ( Lots of cauliflower , baby onions , cucumbers , some recipes call for finely diced carrot and turnip )
• 1 litre white vinegar
• 160 g sugar
• 25g dry English mustard powder
• 25 g ground ginger
• 15 g turmeric
• 1 tsp corn flour
1 . Clean all the vegetables and soak in brine overnight ( 300g salt per litre of water for the brine ). When the pickle is boiling , turn the heat down to a simmer and stir every few minutes or so to keep the mix catching on the pan bottom .
2 . Place all but 2 tablespoons of the vinegar in a pan and warm to dissolve the sugar .
3 . Add all the vegetables and bring to the boil , turning to a low simmer . Cook until the vegetables are soft .
4 . Use the remaining vinegar to make a paste of the remaining ingredients and stir into the vegetables . Bring to the boil and simmer until the pickle thickens .
5 . Bottle in sterile jars .
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