Pickled Perfection: Straight from your Backyard

If you’ve found yourself wondering what you’re going to do with your backyard fruit and vegetable bounty, consider turning them into relishes and pickles that will last through the seasons. Peaches, green tomatoes, okra, squash and beans can also be pickled for a delicious addition to any meal or as a snack. Spiced apples, muscadines, crabapples and corn, pepper and pears can all be used to make relishes.

Kristen Sumpter is the Family and Consumer Sciences Agent for the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension in Fulton County. She provides programming on food safety, health and nutrition, financial literacy and the home.

According to Dr. Elizabeth Andress, University of Georgia Professor and Extension Food Safety Specialist, one just needs to follow several simple rules for tasty pickled products.

• Ingredients are very important to the process of pickling. First, make sure to use only good quality, fresh fruits and vegetables. This is especially important because if you do not start with good ingredients, your product will not be as successful.

• Fresh whole spices are important in some recipes to give good flavor and prevent darkening of the pickled product.

• Salt is an integral part of many pickling processes and flavor twists. Canning or pickling salt that does not contain iodine or non-caking material is ideal.

• Read every recipe carefully. There is a reason for each step, and cutting corners may compromise the quality of the product or make it unsafe to eat. Make sure that each recipe used is modern, up-todate and kitchen-tested, and that all pickled products to be stored out of the refrigerator are processed in a boiling water canner for the recommended length of time.

• Stainless steel, glass or unchipped metal pans should be used when heating pickling liquids. Aluminum can be used if the brine will only be in it a short time. Some metals such as copper and brass can react with acids or salts to create discoloration or undesirable compounds.

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