Sweet and sour pickled onions

Pickled onions on a burger

What is summer without pickles?  And why not pickled onions?

I have made pickled onions before but this is a recipe that beats the first one.  They are ready in the fridge after 48 hours or you can go through the canning process and keep them in the pantry until needed.  I started with a recipe from a book I love called   Food in Jars  Then I made it my own

mise en place

Recipe: 

2 cups apple cider vinegar

3/4 cups sugar

2 TBS pickling salt

3 pounds red onions, thinly sliced

2 tsp mustard seed

1 tsp celery seed

1/2 tsp ancho chili powder ( red pepper flakes or cayenne)

3 sprigs lavender

Combine the vinegar, 1 1/2 cups water, sugar and the salt in a pot over high heat and bring the brine to a boil. 

Add the sliced onions to brine and stir to combine.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer briefly to soften onions.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining spices in  a small bowl and stir to blend.  Add the spice blend and the lavender sprigs in to sterilized jars,

Using tongs, evenly divide the onions among 3 pint jars.  Pour hot brine into each jar leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Continue typical canning directions or place in fridge for 48 hours.

Canning directions:

Sterilize glass jars and rims and flat lids for 10 minutes in boiling water.  Be careful not to touch the jars or rims with bare hands.  After filling jars and leaving headspace gently tap the jars on a towel lined counter top to help loosen any bubbles before using a wooden chopstick or utensil to dislodge any remaining bubbles.  Check the headspace again and add more brine if necessary.  Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes

Let these pickles cure for at least 48 hours before eating