"Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "Jean B." > wrote:
>
>> Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>> > . . . for Pickled Boiled Dirt Chunks. Gack!
>> >
>> > I bought the ones I bought and then almost bought a couple bunches of
>> > orange-color b**ts and then decided there's no point in throwing good
>> > money after bad.
>> >
>> > There's a recipe in the big Ball book that doesn't look any worse than
>> > the other two I've tried. I might try that one; will see what SETP
>> > offers, too.
>> >
>> > What's the predominant flavor in them? Sweet-sour? Cinnamon? IMWTK.
>>
>> LOL! I like pickles on the sour side. Do you try them, given
>> your aversion to the chunks? Good luck.
>
> You're kidding, right? No, I don't try them. I'd sooner have a root
> canal without anesthesia. Ishta.
>
> I bought $5 worth (5 bunches of about 5-7 each) of small b**ts. I
> didn't get to trimming them quickly enough so I wound up tossing the
> greens (the only edible part AFAIC). After peeling those little
> suckers, I think I'll be lucky if I get 3 pints from them. I only need
> two pints to enter, so that's okay. I'm amazed at the number of people
> I know who say they love them. They're cadging for a jar, but it's not
> likely to happen.
>
> Last year they won 4th place (a ribbon for the slut) and in 2007 they
> won 5th. There are a remarkable number of entries in the lot, IMO > least
> 15. Ick.
>
> My new goal is to win a blue ribbon for them. :-) Thing is, I have NO
> idea of what constitutes a "good" pickled boiled dirt chunk, so I shoot
> blind. I cobbled together a couple recipes tonight that involve wine,
> wine vinegar, sugar, water, and "enhanced" pickling spices. I maybe
> should've stuck with last year's recipe > they'll have about 6 weeks to
> pickle up before they're judged.
>
> Now I'm trying to decide if I want to put some onion slices in the jars
> or not. (I haven't packed the jars yet; the BDC are soaking in the
> syrup until morning.
>
> Decisions, decisions.
> --
> -Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ


I've always thunk that them PITA to peel pearl onions look prettier in the
jar. jmho. I've peelt them, then halve or quarter with a bit of the root
left on so's the pieces stay together, also pretty to me.

Wunner how Carrot Coins (with or w/o b**ts) in the Red Wine sauce would be.
Would tone down the b**tieness?

Barb, did y'all get some great big b**ts, boil'm up, then make cutout with
leetle cookie cutters for yer showpiece? I make stars, halfmoons, suns,
circles (I use an apple corer/cutter dealy for the chunks, then save all the
circular pieces for the fancy jar). They won first place that year!
Edrena.