|
 Question:
I keep seeing "Pickling Spices" as an
ingredient in many canning recipes. What are canning recipes? What is found
in the pickling spices (all the recipes call for them but we can't seem to
find out what is in the cheesecloth bag)? Can you help us? I've searched the
internet but have not been able to come up with anything. I would appreciate
some feedback.
Answers:
Canning recipes that use pickling spices are usually referring to preparing
and canning (foods preserved in bottles) anything that is pickled, like dill
pickles, sour pickles, and sweet pickles. Some vegetable are also pickled
and placed in jars for storing.
Pickling spice is most often used for canning pickles, but in some other
dishes as well. The main ingredients are: cinnamon, mustard seed, bay leaves,
allspice, dill seed, cloves, ginger, peppercorns, coriander, juniper
berries, mace, and cardamom. For a hotter mix, add some
crushed hot peppers.
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PICKLING SPICE I
2 cinnamon sticks, broken
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon juniper berries
1 teaspoon crumbled whole mace
1 teaspoon dill seeds
4 dried bay leaves
1 small piece dried ginger
Mix together all the ingredients.
Store in a small, airtight jar up
to 2 months.
Makes about 1/4 cup.
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PICKLING SPICE II
4 cinnamon sticks (each about 3 inches long)
1 piece dried gingerroot (1 inch long)
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoon whole allspice berries
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
2 teaspoons whole cloves
2 teaspoons dill seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons whole mace, crumbled medium fine
8 bay leaves, crumbled medium fine
1 small dried hot red pepper (1 1/2 inches long), chopped or crumbled medium
fine, seeds and all
Wrap the cinnamon and gingerroot loosely in a piece of cloth and bash
them with a hammer until well crumbled. Discard any stringy parts of the
ginger, then mix with other ingredients.
Store in a small, airtight jar up
to 2 months.
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