Maine Mustard Pickles

[Carrot Top]

Here is a link to a recipe for Mustard Pickles, which is the same recipe that my family from Maine makes *except* our recipe uses white sugar rather than brown, and all the pickling ingredients (which of course is everything but the cucumbers) are heated together till everything blends well, then cooled before pouring over the cukes. (The vinegar to be used is either cider or white - I prefer cider.)

There is nothing like a Maine Mustard Pickle that I know of. A taste to remember.

[bobmac]

Thanks. I remember having these at my uncles in Maine. Nobody sells them any more. Once they're done, do you got through the usual canning procedure?

[Carrot Top]

No, bobmac, these are actually a "fresh" pickle. I've never known anyone to try to preserve them in the usual canning procedure, though *if* they are sold commercially anywhere it surely must be possible, but I would not know how that affected flavor or texture.

The taste of the pickle starts off with the taste of the mustard being gentle, then as time goes on it becomes more and more intense and the cucumbers become softer rather than crisp. Depending on whether they are being cured at room temperature (the vinegar, salt and sugar preserve them) or in a cool basement or in a refrigerator the curing process will take varying amounts of time.

So the pickles are rather *alive* in a way , altering their own taste as they are cured.

When they have been pickling for a long time, you can expect to see some very puckery-looking faces on whomever bites into them. That's a LOT of mustard there. . .

Note: The pickling solution is not re-useable for a new batch after using it for a batch as the cucumbers give off liquid.

This is a very old-fashioned recipe. It is great fun to make it in an old clay pickle jar, but lacking that, it can be made in plastic containers in small batches or plastic tubs for larger batches. Be sure to weigh down the cucumbers into the liquid with a weight. (Whatever works. . .a brick on top of a plate or if you are artistic an old unwanted bit of statuary. . . )

[OwnReward]

My family's recipe is canned the usual way (hot water bath). The receipe process includes cauliflower, pearl onions and green tomatoes in the vegetable ingredients, as well as the cucumbers.

IIRC, the process is to blanche the veggies, soak 24-48 hrs in brine, rinse brine off, add the mustard 'sauce', then can using hot water bath. A curing period of 4-6 weeks is recommended. If you would like the explicit recipe, PM me and I'll send it to you...

What kind of 'traditional' mincemeat recipes are out there?

KV

[Toliver]

This is a very old-fashioned recipe....

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I have a question about the recipe you linked to. It says to slit the cucumbers within one inch of the end but not to cut them in half. How far should the knife go into the cucumber when doing the cutting? Is the cut to allow the pickling juice to better enter the cucumber?

[Carrot Top]

The slitting lengthwise of the cukes is not something that I have done myself, Toliver. I've made the pickles with just regular scrubbing up and minor pruning of bruises if neccesary. But I would suspect that as you surmise, it is to allow the mustard flavor from the pickling solution to enter the cucumbers more rapidly. To my mind, it is not a neccesary step but someone that *has* done this might chime in with good reasons for it.

Edited October 4, 2006 by Carrot Top (log)