Holiday Mini Countdown is on!

So far I’ve made 50lbs worth of pickles as well as some chutneys and jams and I’m on a roll with lots more.  I love canning.  It’s a lot of work but soooo worth it – especially as you’re munchin’ on dills that you made yourself, or pickled beets that came out of your garden.

I also love making recipes that have been passed down – it adds a touch of serendipity to the canned goods.  My favourite pickled onions are made from a recipe that belonged to my Step-Mom’s paternal Grandma.  My (step) Mom, who passed away last summer, loved canning too, so I grew up on homemade pickles & jams and her recipes are now held near and dear to my heart.  Her ‘Chop-Suey’ relish (which is also my Grandma Zinck’s recipe) is AWESOME on everything from grilled cheese to crackers.  My best friend, Hedi, gave me her recipe for Salsa that is to die-for! When I lived back home in BC, Hedi and our friend Trish used to get together each fall and make Antipasto.  YUM and FUN all rolled into one!

 
My Mom (who is a SU demo in Oklahoma) just sent me a recipe for a green tomato relish that she says is the BEST relish she has ever eaten and the recipe is really old – it was passed on to her from a friend. I can’t wait to try it!

I also have a ‘Ketchup aux Fruits’ recipe that was given to me years ago, from my friend Cecile, when I lived in Montreal.  Tourtiere is positively gourmet with some of this homemade ketchup on it!  I barely spoke French at the time and Cecile knew no English but we LOVED our visits together and I remember her teaching me how to make this.  Cecile has since passed away and my Ketchup aux Fruits recipe is still in my recipe box, on Jean Coutu  note paper, written in French, in Cecile’s handwritting. Very special.