Pickled Chillies

Technically, I haven't made anything because I used ready-made pickling vinegar, but I'm still posting up my pickled chillies (apache & cheyenne)

The Verdict

I finally got round to trying some of my preserves over Christmas and have to say I was extremely pleased with the results...

... tomato & pepper relish really did taste as good as something you could buy in the shops - I can't wait to try it on a burger.

... pickled green tomatoes were quite sweet, I was expecting them to taste more like pickles. They are lovely with both cheese and ham.

... pumpkin chutney was a total delight, I will definitely be making more of that next year.

... pickled cucumbers, once again are just as good as the ones you can buy. I will have to put more effort into growing onions for pickling next year.

The only thing left to try is cucumber and apple chutney, hopefully I will enjoy that just as much as the others.

Pickled Green Tomatoes

I got this recipe from a veggie growing forum on the internet and thought I'd give it a go. I think it said that the recipe is originally from Germany.

This is what I used:

5 lbs Green Tomatoes, 1 inch (2.5cm) diameter maximum, stems removed
2 pints Malt Vinegar
6 Cloves
1 x 1 in Cinnamon Stick
1 whole Nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 lb Sugar
1 pint White Wine Vinegar


This is what I did:

Place the tomatoes in a large pan with the malt vinegar. Stir very gently and bring to the boil, then strain immediately. 

Put the tomatoes very carefully into a bowl, taking care not to split the skins.

Boil the cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and sugar with the white wine vinegar in a separate pan.

Pour hot over the tomatoes. Cover and leave for 24 hours.


On day three, heat the tomatoes and the liquid together, but do not boil. Lift out the tomatoes with a slotted spoon and pack them carefully into warmed jars. Throw out any that have accidentally split their skins because they will ruin the effect of the pickle.

Reduce the liquid until it turns slightly syrupy, then strain off the spices and pour the cooling pickle over the tomatoes, making sure they are completely covered.

Seal and store for 3 months before opening.

I haven't actually tasted them yet, but the aroma as I was making them was very pleasant so I can't wait to try them.

Pickled Peppers

I pickled some chilli peppers today, which simply involved removing from the plant, making sure they were clean and blemish free, putting them in a sterilised jar and covering them with pickling vinegar... easy peasy!

In the past I have just left them to dry out, but I thought I would try preserving them differently this year.

More Cucumber Preserves

I made another batch of cucumber and apple chutney yesterday, but this time I followed the recipe more closely, so I used

2 lb cooking apples
1 lb shallots
2 lb cucumbers
1 pint malt vinegar
1 lb demerara sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper

I also used a food processor, so the ingredients were finely chopped rather than chunky.

I also pickled some more of them a week or so ago.

Cucumber production has slowed down considerably though, so I don't think I'll be preserving any more this year.

Pickled Cucumbers

Cucumbers seem to be growing by the minute... I check them in the morning and they aren't ready, by lunch time they need to be picked!

So, pickling some of them seemed to be a good idea, and this has been the easiest recipe so far. All I needed was:

Cucumbers
Salt
Spiced Vinegar (I cheated a bit and used a ready made one)

This is what I did:

Washed and dried this many cucumbers

Cut them into chunks and placed them in a bowl, layering them with salt

Placed the bowl in the fridge for 24 hours.

Rinsed well and left to drain

Packed into sterilised jars and covered with vinegar

They should be ready to eat in about 4 weeks.