Preserving recipe

Crunchy Pearl Onions in Mustard-Spiced Vinegar

Tiny white onions, fragrant mustard seeds and a well-balanced sweet-and-sour pickle make a lovely accompaniment to cheese, cold roast meat and a hearty ploughman's lunch.

Preparation
60 min.

Cooking time
10 min.

Servings
16

Jars
4

Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

1920 ml peeled white pearl onions
1320 ml white vinegar with 5 % acidity
240 ml water
400 g white granulated sugar
10 ml pickling salt
40 ml mustard seeds
20 ml celery seeds

Method

1. Lower the pearl onions into boiling water in batches for 30 seconds, then plunge them into cold water for 30 seconds. Trim the root end closely and peel the onions.
2. Bring the vinegar, water, sugar and salt to the boil in a large pan and simmer gently for 3 minutes. Add the pearl onions, bring back to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes until half-cooked.
3. Divide the mustard and celery seeds between four hot jars of around 475 ml each. Pack in the hot pearl onions, initially leaving 2.5 cm headspace.
4. Top up with the hot pickling liquid to within 1.3 cm of the rim. Release air bubbles, wipe the rims and seal the jars.
5. Process in a vigorously boiling water bath for 10 minutes at altitudes up to 305 m, for 15 minutes at 306–1830 m and for 20 minutes above that. Allow the jars to cool for 12–24 hours and leave the onions to mature for 3–5 days before tasting.

Storage

Keep tightly sealed jars in a cool, dark place; refrigerate once opened.

Shelf life

For best quality, store unopened for around 12 months; after opening, use within 2 weeks.

Safety note

Use only vinegar with 5 % acidity. Do not alter the amounts of onions, vinegar or water. Do not store without processing in a boiling water bath.

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