Pickle Issues

[RidgebackRanch]

Dw puts up about 90 quarts a of pickles a year, and her secret is pick the cuckes and pickle them within about an hour or two. They stay crisp for at least two years in the jar.

Hope this helps.

 

[swampducks]

It also helps to use VERY firm and/or very small cucumbers. Picklers can be too big if you don't pick them soon enough. If they're too big you have to cut them and cut pickles usually always get a little mushy. I also do mine with a water bath though, not a pressure canner. I use recipes from the ball "blue" book. One of my favorites uses sugar in the dill recipe. I HATE sweet pickles so I just dump the sugar requirement.

 

[chris09]

Look in stores for a product called, "Pickle Crisp." That should prevent the mushy.

I don't like to add "things" to make them crispy. And the main issue is the saltiness. Used to be that you were supposed to add alum to keep them crisp, but that is aluminum and really, I don't want to give myself alzheimers from pickles.

I don't think your going to get dementia from Calcium Chloride.


Chris

 

[chris09]

The trick to making good pickles is to grow 'pickles'/ pickling cucumbers and not slicing cucumbers.
Pickling cucumbers were developed to go through the brining process and have a lower moisture content thus giving a higher quality firmer product.


Chris

 

[Jared77]

I tried using wild grape leaves....all they did was throw the taste off in my pickles which were still mushy. Another batch I used the pickle crisp with and it makes a difference. Oh and if you want something REALLY good, put in a drop or 2 of hot sauce before you can them and you'll have some "heated" dills. Little bit goes a long way. We went through a few jars of those on Super Bowl sunday everybody loved them.

 

[hoodat]

I used to make what I called OMG piclkles in wide mouth gallon jars. I'd take pickling cukes that were a little bigger than you normally let pickles get then pack them raw in a jar with a full head of garlic buds peeled, one jalapeno pepper and several Thai or Louisiana hot peppers in each gallon. Pour boiling brine over them and set them aside in a cool dark place to age. After a month or so they would get hot enough to make a strong man beg for mercy. When all the pickles were gone I'd bring the leftover brine to a boil and pour it over scalded cauliflower florets and sliced carrots with some onion slices.