Encounters from the Briny Deep

...or Adventures in Pickling. Still on a canning binge. Saturday, I made a couple of jars of preserved lemons and four jars of jalapeno pickles. Peppers have just looked great this year and I had a good recipe including whole garlic cloves, carrots, thick slices of onion, and tender fresh peppers. Instead of processing the pickles in boiling water, I used Fido square glass bale jars (available at Cost Plus World Market) so I can check on their progress. This does mean they won't keep as long and they have to live in the refrigerator, but I don't expect them to last long anyway. While pickled peppers aren't a personal favorite of mine, I'm sure I know a few folks who won't mind taking them off my hands. They already smelled fantastic!

The jars I like seal with wire clasp bails and rubber gaskets which can be changed each time you use them. The small ones are terrific for boozy cherries and the medium ones are great for pickles, dry goods, and marinated goat cheese. The larger jar is my favorite for preserved lemons.

(Also on yesterday's list was a ginger lime pear jam. Hmmmm.)