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.
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 ½ 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 a simmer, stirring until sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Pour over the cherries and tarragon filling to within ¼ inch of the 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 of these 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, ⅛ 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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Tart Pickled Cherries and Pickled Celery Sticks
Ingredients
For the Tart Pickled Cherries:
- 1 lb. ripe firm Bing cherries (or any other sweet cherry)
- 6 sprigs fresh tarragon
- 2 cups white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tsp. pickling salt
For the Pickled Celery Sticks:
- 1 stalk crisp fresh celery
- 6 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 slices lemon
- Pickling salt as needed
- 2 tblsp. sugar
- 2 large garlic cloves peeled
- 1 tsp. mustard seed
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 12 whole black peppercorns
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 ½ cups white wine vinegar
- ¾ cup water
Instructions
To make the Tart Pickled Cherries:
- Rinse the cherries. Discard any with soft spots. Clip the stems to ½ inch. Blot the cherries with paper towel to remove all moisture.
- Rinse and dry the tarragon. Drop half of the tarragon sprigs into each of 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:
- Using a vegetable peeler, remove all strings from celery. Cut into lengths (about 3 inches) that will fit into your canning jars. Cut lengths into strips about ½ inch wide.
- 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 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, ⅛ 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
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Helen says
Do you need to pit the cherries before canning?
Lana Stuart says
Your choice. But if you don't pit them, please be sure to tell your guests that the cherries have pits.
baker street says
Oh no! I hope you feel better soon, Lana! xx
Great tip about the non reactive pan! :)
Lora @cakeduchess says
So sorry to hear about your accident, Lana. I hope you heal soon so you can be back on two feet doing all your marvelous recipes. LOVE these canned celery sticks and cherries. They are gorgeous!xx
Jan says
Ouch! I hope you have a fast recovery!
Pam says
So sorry about your foot! I can't wait to start canning... I just took my first class last week.
[email protected] says
Wow, I step away from my computer for a few days and look what happens! I am so, so sorry about your foot - that is DEFINITELY not good!!
But the cherries and celery?? Now that IS good! I adore pickled celery and now that I have a little extra room in the fridge I need to make another batch!!
Barbara | Creative Culinary says
Ouch is all I can say...and that is coming from a most empathetic place. Not walking without pain now for over 2 years I can only hope that your injury is something more 'fixable.'
I hope you don't regret the effort though; I love the photo of you in the boat; there is something to be said for being brave enough to do it and this was such a freak accident.
Kristen says
Oh hon - I can't believe how much damage you did to your foot. As someone who has suffered a good long 6 months of annoying foot injuries, I can truly say I'm sorry! I hope you get better very soon, friend!
Lana says
Thanks for your kind words, Kristen. Right now I'm just hoping for no surgery and quick healing. I've followed some of your foot injury issues through your blog and Twitter and am so glad to know that you're doing much better. It encouraged me to read just a few days ago about you taking your first run since your injury.
Miss P says
Those look beautiful. Feel better soon.
Miss P
Donna says
Ouch! I broke my femur once. Not fun.
Taragon. Very interesting. And nice tip on the "non reactive" saucepan.
Feel better. :-)