How to Can and Preserve Pickled Onions
Pickling is a great way to extend the shelf life of onions and ensure that you have a supply on hand if you ever need to rely on your stockpile during a prolonged crisis. Pickling also takes the raw “bite”out of the onions and can produce a sweeter, more palatable product that can be incorporated into a wide range of meals. Let’s look at a simple method that can allow you to whip up a batch with minimal effort using some basic ingredients.
Ingredients:
8 cups of white pearl onions
5 ½ cups of white vinegar
2 cups of raw sugar
1 cup of water
6-8 teaspoons of mustard seed
4-6 teaspoons of celery seed
2 teaspoons of canning salt
Getting Started
It’s a good idea to prepare your water bath canner ahead of time so that you can heat the jars until they are ready to be packed. Just fill the canner with water, submerge the jars, and let them simmer until you are finished preparing the recipe.
The first step is to peel the onions. The easiest way to do this it to place bunches of them into a strainer and dip into boiling water for 30 seconds. Cut off the root end just enough to open up the skin and allow you to pull it back and over the top. Cut off the skin at the top end, but try to make the cut as close to the top of the onion as possible. Discard the skins and set the onions aside.
Combine the sugar, salt, water and vinegar in a stockpot and bring to a boil. Stir and cook the mixture for about 3 minutes. Add the onions and cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that the ingredients are evenly mixed.
While the onions are cooking, pour the water from inside the canning jars back into the canner before setting the jars on the counter. Add 2 teaspoons of the mustard seed and 1 teaspoon of celery seed to each canning jar before filling each one with equal amounts of onions. Fill the jars with the liquid from the stockpot until ½ inch of headspace remains. Give each jar a little shake or use the handle from a wooden spatula or spoon to remove any air bubbles. Add more liquid if necessary to maintain headspace. If you run out of liquid, you can add in some hot water to make up for the difference.
When finished, wipe down the rims of each jar to make sure they are clean and debris-free before attaching the lids. Screw tight and place the jars back in the canner. Make sure they are completely submerged and process them for 15 minutes before removing from heat. Place the jars on the counter and let them cool at room temperature for about 24 hours. Inspect the seals and condition of the jars before labeling and dating the ones that will go into your stockpile.
If you plan on eating some of the onions right away, try to let them rest in the jars for a few days in order to allow the flavor to settle and mature. You can also experiment with different spices and levels of sugar until you come up with something that suits your preferences and tastes. When all is said and done, you can expect a shelf life of up to a year if the onions are stored in optimal conditions.
Try this recipe for yourself, and see how this is a great way to preserve large quantities of onions at once while adding some zest to your stockpile at the same time.
