Main:

• 4 quarts small canning cucumbers, sliced thin (1 medium cucumber = 1 pint)
• 6 small onions, sliced thin (or 2 large)
• 2 green peppers, cut in ¼” strips
• 1 red pepper, cut in ¼” strips
• 3 cloves garlic
• ½ cup kosher canning salt (or coarse sea salt)

Brine:

• 6-2/3 cups sugar
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp celery seed
• 2-2/3 T. mustard seed
• 4 cups apple cider vinegar

1. Cut vegetables and put in bowl with garlic & salt.  Cover with water.  Mix well.
2. Let stand on counter at least 3 hours (preferably overnight).
3. Drain well.  Put in boiled jars with boiled brine, leaving ½” headspace.
4. Hot water bath canning for 10 minutes.  See blog for hot water bath canning directions.

Makes about 8 pints.

I’m so excited about the Holistic Weight Loss Program that I’ve developed as a collaborative effort with Senia at Healing InSight that I can’t sleep.  We start with acupuncture, herbs, and food therapy (of course) and include other perks like weigh-ins, measurements, lifestyle coaching, books, and things you can do at home to increase your metabolism and lose that weight.  Recently we’ve expanded the program to include a 7 day weight loss detox, meal ideas, and new chapters of the food therapy books we’re writing.  My patients love the program so much that after the initial 10 weeks, they’ve been requesting phase 2 so they can continue losing weight with the same support that has been so successful in phase 1.  So we finally finished putting that together and we’re too excited to sleep!

Beets (CHOOSE ONE):

• 4 bunches of 10 small beets (golf ball size)
• 2 bunches of 3-6 beets from farmers market (plum size to tennis ball size)
• 4 cans sliced beets

Brine:

• 2 cups organic sugar
• 1½ cups apple cider vinegar
• ¾ cup water (or beet juice if using canned beets)
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• ½ tsp. organic whole cloves (or pickling spice)

1. Boil beets in water for 1-2 hours.  Rinse in cold water. Peel.  Slice.
2. Put in boiled jars with boiled brine, leaving ½” headspace.
3. Hot water bath canning for 20 minutes.  See blog for hot water bath canning directions.

Makes 4 small pint jars or 2 big quart jars.

NOTE: If making refrigerated beets, you don’t have to boil the jars.  Just put the ingredients in a clean jar, seal, and refrigerate.  They are good for 3-4 weeks.