In a pickle!

Everybody is in a pickle.  Even Jamie Oliver is in a pickle.  It has become very fashionable to seve pickles with all sorts of meals.  Some restaurants even have a pickle section in their menu.  Jamie Oliver suggests it as a way of preserving those lone carrots and bits of onion that are left in the fridge at the end of the week.  Bread and Butter Pickles are very pretty either in the jar or on the plate.  A deliberately made pickle is even better.  

After six years our citrus orchard is doing its thing and we have limes.  Admittedly (because we only have 3 bushes) the limes are more special than the other fruit which we can pick by the crateful and not notice where we've been.  Though Bill suggested that he would like them all for putting in a gin and tonic I froze them for use later.  They freeze so easily - I pop them into a plastic bag, suck out the air and they're done.  I make Lime Marmalade with limes directly from the freezer.  For Kent's Lime pickle I thaw them sufficiently to be able to cut them and remove pips.  Ours don't have many so it is not too difficult.  This is a good recipe for the home grower as it only takes a small quantity of limes.

Lime pickle (KB)

7 limes

1T salt

375g raisins

1t chilli powder

4 cloves of garlic, crushe

1 1/2 T fresh ginger, crushed

500ml cider vinegar

500g browm sugar

1T of fresh horseradish (or 4t preserved horseradish)

Segment the limes (as best you can if they are frozen) and remove the pips.  Sprinkle with salt and leave(covered) for 48 hours, stirring occasionally.  Add the limes and all the remaining ingredients to a pot (including all the juice that has formed) and cook on a rolling boil until thick.

Put into hot sterilised jars, removing any air bubbles with a knife.  Seal with sterilised lids.  LABEL!