Pickled Pineapple Two Ways #fijchallenge

Pickled Pineapple

We are now in the fifth month of our year-long food preservation Mastery Challenge hosted by Marisa of the popular canning blog, Food In Jars. This month we are focusing on cold pack preserving. Also known as raw pack, to cold pack something simply means the food is raw when it's packed in the jars. Hot liquid is added and then jars are put in a bath of boiling water or steam. The purpose of this challenge is to expand our skills while preserving a food ingredient that we will actually use. This time I pickled pineapple using two different flavor profiles.

Pineapple might sound like a crazy thing to pickle, but think about it in a salad or a sandwich and all the flavor it can bring. Also imagine the dimension this would add to a cheese plate, or any meat or veggie dish. Since we are in between seasons in the PNW, I found that pineapple is an easy and convenient ingredient to bridge winter and spring produce.

The first batch I made was a spicy pickled pineapple which was very spicy and tangy. The heat comes from thin slices of jalapeno peppers and their seeds. The tang is from rice wine vinegar and fresh lime juice. My only concern was the acidity of the rice wine vinegar which was 4.2% as everything I’ve been reading says you need 5% for food safety. This recipe is good for 2 weeks stored in the refrigerator.

This recipe has been slightly adapted from Running To The Kitchen.

yield: 3-1/2 pintsAuthor: Cheriprint recipe

Spicy Pickled Pineapple

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 pineapple cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cup rice vinegar 4.2%
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 large jalapeno, sliced into thin circles, including seeds
• 1/2 tablespoon Kosher salt
• Juice of 2 limes

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place the vinegar, sugar, salt and lime juice in a small sauce pot. Bring to a simmer stir until sugar dissolves, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
2. Place the pineapple and jalapeno into prepared jars. Pour the vinegar mixture over the pineapple, it should just cover the top slice.
3. Seal and refrigerate at least 24 hours before eating. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Created using The Recipes Generator

The second style was a refrigerator style sweet pickle. For this batch I used whole cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon sticks and apple cider vinegar. After 24 hours we tasted the juicy wedge-like pickles and were not disappointed. They were everything I thought they would be, sweet, tangy with the wonderful earthy and floral flavors shining right through.

This recipe has been slightly adapted from Edible Milwaukee.

yield: 3 to 4 1/2 pintsAuthor: Cheriprint recipe

Refrigerator Style sweet Pickled Pineapple

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 pineapple cut into 1 inch wedges
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1 stick cinnamon, broken
• 1/8 of a whole nutmeg, smashed
• 1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
• ¼ teaspoon whole cardamom pods

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine brown sugar, vinegar and pineapple juice in a large stainless steel pot. Place spices into a cheesecloth, tie corners into a pouch; add to pot. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Add pineapple to pickling solution; simmer until hot throughout. Remove pineapple pieces from pot and keep hot. Heat syrup to a boil; remove spice bag. Pack hot pineapple into warm jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Ladle hot pickling solution into jars over pineapple, leaving ¼ inch head space. Remove air bubbles.
3. Wipe clean and processed jar rims, place lids on top and screw on bands. Cool to room temperature then place in refrigerator for storage. keep jars stored in refrigerator for approximately 2 months.

Created using The Recipes Generator