Tart Pickled Cherries and Pickled Celery Sticks

Tart Pickled Cherries and Pickled Celery Sticks – two unusual homemade pickles to accompany drinks, antipasto, or charcuterie.

Canning is a real favorite pursuit of mine. There’s just something fulfilling about having a pantry lined with jars of beautifully canned fruits and vegetables. It gives a real sense of accomplishment.

Sometimes, though, I get tired of doing the normal canned stuff. And that’s when I turn to some of my great canning references for something a little different. Something out of the ordinary. Like these two recipes I’m sharing with you today.

These are most definitely out of the ordinary! And both are delicious. They make a fantastic addition to an antipasto platter or charcuterie tray, and they’re perfect with cocktails as well.

Tart Pickled Cherries and Pickled Celery Sticks - two unusual homemade pickles to accompany drinks, antipasto, or charcuterie. Click To Tweet

How to Make Tart Pickled Cherries and Pickled Celery Sticks

To make the tart pickled cherries

Start by picking over the cherries and discarding any with soft spots. Rinse the cherries, clip the stems to 1/2 inch and blot them dry to remove all the moisture. Also rinse and dry the tarragon.

Drop the tarragon into two hot, sterilized canning jars. Add the cherries.

Stir together the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a non-reactive saucepan. Heat to simmering, stirring until sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Pour over the cherries and tarragon filling to within ¼ inch of top of jars.

Remove any air bubbles from jars. Apply sterilized two-piece canning lids. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Store in a cool, dark place for at least one week before serving.

To Make the Pickled Celery Sticks

Or, if you think the pickled celery sticks would be more to your liking, make a couple of jars by first removing all the strings from a stalk of celery. A vegetable peeler works great for this.

Cut the celery into lengths (about 3 inches) that will fit into your canning jars. Cut lengths into strips about ½ inch wide. Slice the lemon.

Heat water to boiling in a large non-reactive saucepan. Add the bay leaves, lemon slices, and 1 teaspoon salt. Boil the liquid for two minutes, then add the celery and return to the boil. Begin timing and boil for two minutes, no more.

Drain the celery in a colander. Reserve the lemon slices. Spread the celery and lemon out on paper towels to cool until it is comfortable to handle.

In each of two hot, sterilized canning jars, place 1 lemon slice, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 garlic clove, ½ teaspoon mustard seed, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 6 black peppercorns, and 1 whole clove.

Meanwhile bring the vinegar and water to a boil.

Pack the celery sticks in the jars as tightly as possible. Pour in enough of the vinegar and water mixture to completely submerge the celery leaving ¼ inch headspace.

Apply two-piece canning lids and process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes. Allow the celery to mellow for a few days before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

More Canning Recipes on Never Enough Thyme:

• Pickled Okra
• Sugar-Free Bread and Butter Pickles
• Basic Salsa Canning Recipe
• Favorite Kosher Dills
• Strawberry Jam

Other unusual pickle recipes you might enjoy:

• Jerusalem Artichoke Pickles from the National Center for Home Food Preservation
• Pickled Beets from the National Center for Home Food Preservation
• Pear Pickles from the National Center for Home Food Preservation

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