Pickles

[recruiterg]

Try lacto-fermentation. That should work.

[shelleybean]

Sorry, I missed that. I see now.

Wish I had a solution for you!

[habitat_gardener]

Originally Posted by recruiterg

Try lacto-fermentation. That should work.

I've been meaning to try that. I was at a canning demo recently where one of the other attendees brought lacto-fermetned pickles and said grape leaves and any other leaves with tannins will keep pickles crispy -- raspberry leaves, blackberry leaves. Another source suggested currant leaves.

I was wondering how long lacto-fermented pickles can be stored. All the sources I've looked up online and in a book or two suggest storing in the refrigerator for (times vary) a month to 2 years. I have limited refrigerator space (shared fridge) and my cucumber plants are producing way more than I can eat.

[Worth1]

I have to admit I have never made a dill pickle before on my own.
I love the claussen pickles you get at the store.
So the other day I bought some pickling cucumbers at the store.
I have a jar of claussen pickles and and I made my brine mix taste as close to theirs as I could.
I added alum which afterward I read it doesn't do any good but what ever.
I put 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes, powdered garlic, dill weed and dill seed in the bottom of each jar.
I then quartered length ways the cucumbers and stuffed the jars.
I mixed a solution of 5% vinegar and water 50/50 with 2/3 cup of pickling salt.
3 drops of green food coloring.
Brought the water to a boil and poured the brine into the jars.
Put lids on and let cool the lids sealed and put into the refrigerator.

I couldn't help myself I had the try them tonight.
A wee bit too much vinegar but not bad.
The first thing that hit me was hot pepper then the wang of vinegar with a light finish of salt.
Can barely taste the dill and not much garlic.
They are as crispy as can be.
I made 6 pints and I will have no problem eating them.
Too hot for wife too bad for her.
Would make a nice pickle for a good dark ale the saltiness and sour would pair nicely.
Would go well with a Rubin sandwich.
Use on the side with Bratwurst and Bavarian Sauerkraut.
For once, finally I have a hot pickle.

Will refine more the next time which wont be long.

I wouldn't have a problem storing them outside the refrigerator but that is my choice.

Worth

[brokenbar]

I make fermented, and then store them in brine that has no water. (Just DO NOT put garlic cloves in jars..) I have stored them up to 2 years in my pantry. In lieu of grape leaves, horseradish leaves work equally well. I don't care what you do, if you can them for more than 5 minutes, the are not going to be crispy. Fermented makes the "old fashioned" kind of dill pickle we used to buy when we were kids for 5 cents (boy...does that date me...) They call them "sour pickles" instead of dill....It uses quite a bit of salt so I always soaked them in cold water for 24 hours, changing the water a couple of times before placing in jars and adding brine.

[madddawg]

off topic here but, brokenbar, I couldn't agree with you more with you signature. Been a long winter and missing the warm gardening temps! Love to keep the hands dirty..Missing the smell of fresh dirt...I found myself huffing a bag of potting mix today! i think i could use every smiley on that one..

I when I can my cukes I slice them and then soak them in a salt water brine for a few hours and then rinse and can, using this recipe...but omit the cloves. if you bite into one of them you know it!could go on with that one..
Here is the recipe i use.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bread-a...e7=Home%20Page

This is a great site with lots of good ideas on BTW
http://allrecipes.com/

I shouldnt be on the pc after 12 am. I say silly things...

[Mark0820]

I haven't tried the following, but pickyourown.org suggests there are two keys to crunchy pickles:

1. Cut 1/8 of an inch off of the blossom end of the pickle.

2. Process in a water bath at a temperature of 180 - 185 degrees (which is
below a boiling point of 212 degrees). They say that keeping the temperature
below 185 degrees will avoid breaking down the pectin, which causes
the pickles to soften.

Here is the process using a quick pickle mix: http://www.pickyourown.org/makingcrisppickles.htm.

[ScottinAtlanta]

This new book by Atlanta chef Hugh Acheson is getting good reviews.

http://www.amazon.com/Pick-Pickle-Re...A1DKTB3FGMXCS3

[Zana]

Thanks Scott...I'll have to try it out.

[recruiterg]

This recipe rocks. I just used filtered water and didn't bother to boil the water. Also, I don't like pickling spice. I use pepper corns, dill, mustard seed, hot peppers and garlic. The real key is to let them sit on the counter for a couple of days to sour up. I found this on the net somewhere, but can't remember exactly where. Try this recipe.

Dan Koshansky’s Refrigerator Pickles were a hand-me-down recipe from his mother. And they couldn’t be simpler. Those in the photo (top) are from a batch I made many years ago (photo by Kit Latham).
The recipe:

Wash jars: Run gallon canning jars through the dishwasher or wash thoroughly (smaller jars can be used if desired).
Prepare your brine: To each quart of water that has been boiled and brought to room temperature, add ¾ cup of distilled white vinegar and 4 Tablespoons Kosher salt (Dan would say “heaping Tablespoons”). Estimate how many quarts to make depending on how many jars you will pack with pickles. Note: Do not use reactive pots (like aluminum) for making brine. Stick with stainless and glass equipment for pickling tasks.

Wash and pack small cukes (or green tomatoes or peppers) into clean glass jars, into which fresh dill has been layered on the bottom first.
Add 1 Tablespoon of pickling spice and lots of chopped garlic. (Trust me, I can still recall the garlic-for-breakfast experience. Up to you how much. And frankly I never chop it, as you can see in the photo. Creative license!)

Add a dash of crushed red pepper flakes, or 1-2 small hot red peppers slitted open lengthwise, plus more fresh dill. I love having the flowerheads from a variety like ‘Mammoth,’ instead of just the foliage of ‘Fernleaf’ for this task, but you’ll want plenty of both.

Cover with plastic wrap and let stand out until soured, perhaps a couple of days, then refrigerate with lids on.

I think of these unprocessed pickles as a seasonal treat, So I make enough for a few months only. If you want to store pickles all year, use a recipe that calls for water-bath processing (meaning vacuum-sealed lids). It’s not that refrigerator pickles go bad, but they lose that special quality. It’s the crispy freshness that makes Dan Koshansky’s Refrigerator Pickles so fantastic, a real rite of the harvest season, so enjoy them summer-into-fall and then (as gardeners know how to by necessity) start looking forward to next year.

Added note: Sometimes pickles get too salty. In summer 2010, thanks to Deb at Smitten Kitchen blog, I found out why. Not all Kosher salt brands are created equal.

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by piegirl

Haven't done a search yet but does anyone have a good recipe for these? My grandmother's were the best but we couldn't find the recipe. They had no or little citrus, turned lightly brown from the spices. They were not a crisp pickle, nor were they overly sweet. I tried several recipes years back and they were too sweet. Thanks - piegirl

I used a recipe from The Joy of Pickling. Great book but if I make the watermelon rind pickles again I'll go without the allspice and less sugar.

[Tracydr]

We pickle hot sauce with a salt ferment. We just purée the peppers ( usually jalapeños allowed to ripen) and add salt. I think we use 2% salt by weight.
They stand for 3-6weeks or more. When we put them in the fridge, we add some organice apple cider or organic red wine vinegar. This will slow or stop the fermentation and give a bit more acidity to keep any molds down, too. Plus, it gives it a nicer taste.
I've found. I don't really have to store in the fridge. We make a salsa by adding tomatoes, onions and cilantro, along with lime juice. This does need to go in the fridge but lasts much longer than typical homemade salsa.
Next time I make it, I'd like to try fermenting an actual salsa and see how that tastes and lasts. The fermentation preserves but also gives it a wonderful, unique flavor.
I love salt fermented pickles. Not a big vinegar fan.

[Worth1]

I dont know what my mom did with pickles all I know is she had a huge crock she put them in.

I never liked dill pickles until they started selling the refrigerator ones in the store.

Worth

[coronabarb]

Regarding salt used for pickling, here is a publication with the rundown on different salts and why they are or are not recommended. Pickling and canning salts are pure...non-iodized salt can be used but the brine might be cloudy which does no harm.

Sea salt is not recommended because of mineral impurities, salt substitutes give an off flavor and flaked and kosher salts vary in density so more difficult to measure out.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/fch...fact_sheet.pdf

Mark, you are correct that there is a lower temp pasteurization method for pickling which will help keep from getting soft. Ball's Pickle Crisp (calcium chloride) has been found by many I talk with to be an excellent product for keeping pickled veggies crisp. I went to 5 stores in this town before I found some. Making dilly beans for the first time and want them to be good. Might stick some pepper in there for a bit of heat.

This is a 17 pg publication with many pickling recipes including both quick and fermentation ones. The lower temp pasteurization method is on pg 5. It is not recommended for low salt recipes.

http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xm...674/pnw355.pdf

[Worth1]

If the recipe calls for canning salt and it says 1 cup then to use kosher salt you need to weigh the canning salt so you will know how much in weight the kosher salt needs to be.
Then you can measure it in volume and you are back in business.

I just measured and 1/2 cup of kosher salt weighs about 1 ounce less than a cup of canning salt.

Here is the Morton conversion chart.
But I found a mistake on the chart, where it says fine sea salt and coarse sea salt they have it backwards I would think
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...ebYyEgLSV-1v6w
Salt.JPG