For those of us who enjoy gardening, there’s the added benefit of great tasting vegetables. The fresh product, straight from the garden, is one of life’s simple pleasures. Hours of love and tender loving care devoted to that garden only add to the taste at harvesting time.

If you grow vegetables, chances are that you’ve got cucumbers, carrots, onions and peppers in the garden. All of these are easy to grow, produce abundantly and are equally easy to deal with when it’s time to bring out the canning equipment.

With any home canning project, the use of fresh produce assures a quality product as an end result. Picking your vegetables from the garden early in the morning on canning day helps assure their crispness.

These two recipes require a minimum amount of financial investment, the largest chunk of change going toward a home food processor. A large processor is not required, the smaller ones work just fine. This little machine will save you hours of slicing and dicing, and is well worth it’s weight in gold.

The next items(s) you will need are food canning jars. Pint jars work good for the pickled jalapeno/carrot recipe, but quart jars make the job easier. To make the consumption part even easier, buy wide mouth jars. Canning jars are available at your local grocery store. Remember, when you buy jars, buy lids and bands for the lids.

Place glass jars with lids and bands in a large canning pot with metal rack. Sterilize in boiling water.

Bring to boil:

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup vinegar

1 tablespoon pickling salt

Makes brine solution for one quart of pickles.

Place two sprigs of dill in a quart jar.

Pack fresh cucumbers (assorted pickle sizes) in a sterilized quart jar.

Place two cloves garlic (peeled) and two dried chili peppers (cayenne) in jar.

Place one tablespoon peppercorns in jar.

Pour brine solution over cucumbers in jar. Seal with lids and bands, making sure lids are still hot.

For extra spice, add another dried chili pepper to the jar. Once jars have sealed, store in a cool, darkk place, waiting three weeks before consumption. This allows the cucumbers to age into pickles, assuring a great taste.

Although not as quick as the dill pickle recipe, the following recipe is just as easy. A quality food processor will help along the process. To make this recipe hotter, add more jalapeno peppers. A great suggestion for this one is to wear lined latex gloves.

If you use a food processor such as a Cuisinart, use the slicing blade. Otherwise, a sharp chef’s knife and cutting board will be the order of the day.

1 - food processor bowl sliced jalapenos

1 - food processor bowl sliced carrots

2 - large onions, cut into eighths, then leafed

6-10 - garlic cloves, peeled

2 - cups vinegar

3 - cups water

1 - tablespoon sugar

1 - tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup canning salt

In a large mixing bowl, mix jalapenos, carrots and onions. Set aside.

Place wide mouth jars with bands and lids in large canning pot with metal rack. Sterilize in boiling water.

In large saucepan, mix together vinegar, water, sugar, oil, and salt. Bring to boil.

Pack three sterilized quart jar, or six sterilized pint jars, with mixed ingredients, adding two garlic cloves and one teaspoon peppercorns to each jar.

Place canning funnel in jar, pouring brine solution into each jar. Seal jars promptly with hot lids and bands.

Store in a cool, dark place, allowing three weeks for flavors to set.