Mustard Pickles

Difficulty: easy Prep Time: More than 15 Minutes Total Time: More than 1 hour
2 cups tomatoes, medium dice
1/2 cup English cucumbers, medium dice
1/4 bunch celery, medium dice
1/2 cup onion, medium dice
1/2 cup cauliflower, medium dice
1/2 red pepper, medium dice
1 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/4 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup water

Place all vegetables, vinegar and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 min. Combine dry mustard, turmeric, flour and water to form a paste. Add paste all at once to pickle mixture and stir until it starts to simmer again and will not thicken more. (If it gets thicker than you like, thin it with a little more vinegar.)

Using a wide-mouth funnel, ladle mixture into sterile jars (see prep steps on p. 99), filling to 1/2" from the top. Using a paper towel dipped in boiling water, carefully wipe the jar rims clean of any preserve mixture. Any residue will prevent a proper seal. Using a magnetic lid lifter, lift the lids onto the jars and top with rings. Tighten the rings “finger-tight” only. Lower the filled jars onto the rack in the pot of boiling water. The jars should be covered by at least 1" of water. Put the lid on the canner and once the water returns to a boil, set a timer for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, carefully remove jars using a jar lifter (special tongs), being careful not to tip them over. Place them on a rack to cool, undisturbed, overnight. Next day, remove rings (or tighten them a little and leave them on) and store your preserves. Makes 3-5 (250 ml) jars.