Gram Harry’s Mustard Pickles

Gram Harry’s Mustard Pickles

Ingredients:
100 tiny pickling cucumbers—Gram Harriet picked tiny ones from the vines before early
frosts threatened to ruin what was left of her summer’s crop. You should be able to find
them in your supermarket toward the end of August but if you live in a big city, you may
have to ask your produce manager to order them. They are about 2 inches long.
2 heads cauliflower, also from the garden
2-½ lb pickling onions (these are about ½- to 1-inch in diameter)—(Your produce person
may have to order these for you, too.)
½ gal. white vinegar
½ lb dry mustard, ground (Gram Harry sometimes ground her own from the seeds that
grew wild in the fields near her farm.)
One 4- to 8-oz pkg. of pickling spices (These are found in a box on the spice shelf of
supermarkets.)
1 cup salt
1 cup sugar
2 T turmeric
1 tsp alum
1 dozen pint canning bottles (Kerr or Ball) or equivalent
1 dozen self-sealing canning lids (Kerr or Ball)
A little flour for thickening

Directions:
Break the cauliflower into flowerets. Cut the root end from each tiny onion and peel the
outer skin from it. As you cry, remember this is a labor of love. Soak the cucumbers,
onions, and cauliflower in a brine made with the salt and enough water to cover the
vegetables.
The next morning sterilize the canning bottles by boiling in a large kettle of water for at
least 5 minutes. Remove from water with tongs and hot pads, being careful not to
contaminate the bottle interiors or the lip of the bottles. Let them air dry as you prepare
the pickles. Prepare the canning lids for sterilizing as directed on the box. Drain and wash
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the vegetables that have been soaking in the brine. Save some of the liquid. Cover them
with the vinegar and sugar and bring them to a boil. Cook until the cucumbers change
from green to brown. Add the pickling spices and mustard. Stir. Dissolve the turmeric in
a little water and add to the mixture. Make a thickening paste with some of the vegetable
water and flour as you would if you were making gravy. Add it slowly to the liquid on
the pickles until it is a little thicker than a rich, maple syrup. Add the alum and stir
thoroughly. This is the secret for crisp pickles.
Pack the pickles into the bottles being careful not to contaminate the bottles with utensils
or any other unsterile object. Try to put an equal number of pickles, onions, cauliflower,
and chartreuse liquid in each bottle. Seal with the canning lids as directed on the box.
If you wish, label the bottles with “Gram Harry’s Mustard Pickles” or start a tradition
using your own name—but do remember Gram Harry.
Author’s Bio:
I was born and raised in Utah and come from a long line of wonderful cooks. For
some reason, I rarely do it myself. Still, the food enriches my memories. Many of those
who live in Utah country—even Salt Lake City—have maintained the household virtues
of their pioneer ancestors. Many still hunt deer and pheasant, and fish for fresh rainbow
trout in the crystal waters of the Wasatch Mountains. Women—even those with careers—
often sew and quilt and, of course, cook. Summer is still a time when yards are filled not
only with petunias but also with tomatoes, zucchinis, and, of course, cucumbers.
One person who reviewed This is the Place said that Utah itself was one of the
major characters. And so it is with my life. It is a place where my roots are but a place
where I no longer live or belong. I carry with me a sweet nostalgia for the place whether I
am in California with my actor husband or in Utah visiting my 84-year-old mother. If you
would like to know more about me, Carolyn Howard-Johnson, or This is the Place, go
to
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