Sweet-and-Sour Pickled Onions

By Hklbrries

From “Put ’em up! A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide for the Creative Cook from Drying and Freezing to Canning and Pickling,” by Sherri Brooks Vinton. She writes: “I came up with this recipe when I noticed that the onions were disappearing faster than the cucumber slices from my jars of Bread-and-Butter Pickles – my friends liked their sweet taste so much that they were picking them out. Well, they can stop fishing around; here’s an onions-only recipe.”

Ingredients

• 4 cups distilled white vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon celery seed
• 1 tablespoon mustard seed
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 4 pounds big, sweet onions, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, celery seed, mustard seed and turmeric to a boil in a large nonreactive pot. Add the onions and garlic and return to a boil, stirring to ensure that all ingredients are heated through. Remove from the heat.

To refrigerate: Ladle the mixture into bowls or jars. Cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

To can: Use the boiling-water method. Ladle into clean, hot half-pint jars, covering the onions by 1/4 inch with liquid. Leave 1/4 inch of headspace between the top of the liquid and the top of the jar. Release trapped air. Wipe the rims clean, center lids on the jars and screw on jar bands. Process for 10 minutes for elevations of 1,001 to 3,000 feet. Add 10 minutes processing time for elevations of 3,001-6,000 feet. Add 15 minutes for elevations above 6,001 feet.

Turn off heat, remove canner lid, and let jars rest in the water for 5 minutes. Remove jars and set aside for 24 hours. Check seals, then store in a cool dark place for up to 1 year.