Motherfucking PICKLES

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

http://tightkitchen.blogspot.com/2013/09/yesterday-i-went-to-sauvie-island-and.html

The brine recipe I used for my vinegar-cured pickles is simple:

2 quarts water
2 quarts white vinegar
1 cup salt
1/2 cup sugar

Bring  the brine to a boil, turn down to low and cover while you prep the jars. Once sterilized (about 10 minutes boiling in the canner) I pulled them out with a jar-lifter and put them on a towel on the counter.

Add to each jar:

2 cloves of garlic (sliced in half)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
6-10 whole peppercorns
1 dried red chili
5-6 whole coriander seeds
1-2 heads of fresh dill and some dill fronds

Pack with clean cucumbers (I leave them whole if  they're small, and slice larger ones into quarters lengthwise) and top with one or two grape, cherry, or oak leaves (the tannic acid keeps the pickles crisp). Then ladle hot brine over the top. Fill to about 1/2" from the rim, put the 2-part lids on, just lightly finger-tighten the rings, and place in the canner to process for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool, then tighten the rings and place them in your pantry. These will keep at least 2 years.

There's also a lactic-acid fermentation pickle recipe at the link.

[Kai]

Now I want pickles.

[Eater of Clowns]

Now I want to offer unsolicited recommendations for self help books and believe in Libertarianism.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Now I want to offer unsolicited recommendations for self help books and believe in Libertarianism.

 

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I want my lactic-acid pickles to ferment. Like, I really really a lot want this.

[trippinprincezz13]

Yes! I bought myself a canner last xmas and have been experimenting with pickles and other food stuffs, with varying degrees of success (nothing's gone bad, though occasionally I'll have a jar that won't seal and need to keep it refrigerated - but varying success with the tastes/textures I was going for - plus my soups come out DARK).

Made some half-sour pickles that apparently don't involve vinegar, so even after being canned, need to remain refridgerated. They were good though - just about what I was looking for, except since I was out of a few whole spices, I ended up using a blend, which was actually for corned beef, so more clove in there than I wanted. Keeping them crisp has also been a bit of a challenge; recently bought some "pickle crisp", which I assume must be tannic acid or something close. I would assume (and believe from what I read before) they should be fresh oak, cherry, etc. leaves (ie., not brown and dead).

Hope the fermentation process goes good too (have you done them that way before?). That is something I have been wanting to try (also for sauerkraut), but have not quite worked myself up to yet.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

I've heard people mention using alum to keep pickles crisp, but prefer the grape or oak leaves. They're OUTSIDE, FFS. GO OUTSIDE.    Never attempted saurkraut, but I heard an old man talk about packing cabbage in crocks, putting a board over them and putting some bricks on top. Need more information, I think. 

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Yes! I bought myself a canner last xmas and have been experimenting with pickles and other food stuffs, with varying degrees of success (nothing's gone bad, though occasionally I'll have a jar that won't seal and need to keep it refrigerated - but varying success with the tastes/textures I was going for - plus my soups come out DARK).

Made some half-sour pickles that apparently don't involve vinegar, so even after being canned, need to remain refridgerated. They were good though - just about what I was looking for, except since I was out of a few whole spices, I ended up using a blend, which was actually for corned beef, so more clove in there than I wanted. Keeping them crisp has also been a bit of a challenge; recently bought some "pickle crisp", which I assume must be tannic acid or something close. I would assume (and believe from what I read before) they should be fresh oak, cherry, etc. leaves (ie., not brown and dead).

Hope the fermentation process goes good too (have you done them that way before?). That is something I have been wanting to try (also for sauerkraut), but have not quite worked myself up to yet.

They should be fresh leaves, yes. I have my own grapevine and sour cherry now, but in the past I've been known to nab them off street trees. 

Fridge pickles would be lactic acid pickles, too. I hate the cinnamon and cloves in most commercial pickling spices (fine for sweet pickles, not so much for sour) so I just use my own spices now.

I've never done lactic acid pickles before, but I've made a lot of kim chee, which uses the same process. I'm making some next week in fact. I am considering also making sauerkraut this year, cabbages are about 20 cents a pound at the farm.

[trippinprincezz13]

Yea if I had really thought about it, I would have stuck probably just to the spices you listed up there and not worry about throwing "the whole mix" in. The pickles are almost how I want them, then I taste clove and Not that clove doesn't have its purposes, just not in my pickles. When I first start doing something, I get all nervous/weird about following the recipe, but just gotta tweak it out a bit to match what I'm going for in flavor.

That does make sense that the fridge pickles are still a lactic-acid process. Would definitely like to try the (out of fridge) fermentation process soon. The few recipes I've seen describe doing it in a ceramic crock (which I do not have), but fermenting them directly in the jars like your recipes states seems to make a lot more sense.

I got a bunch of cucumbers from my balcony plant (surprisingly) and even more from my mother's garden, but those are winding down, so I will have to see what else the farmer's markets are offering still.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Some people are purists about the crock, for tradition's sake, but I don't give a fig about tradition, I'm all about doing it the efficient way.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

Let us know how the sauerkraut  works out. If I don't have to buy a bunch of crocks for something that might go wrong the first time and yield nothing but stinky rotting cabbage, I'm game.

[trippinprincezz13]

Some people are purists about the crock, for tradition's sake, but I don't give a fig about tradition, I'm all about doing it the efficient way.

Ahh I see then. Yea, in this case I'll take efficiency over tradition.

Which is why I've been hesitant to:

Let us know how the sauerkraut  works out. If I don't have to buy a bunch of crocks for something that might go wrong the first time and yield nothing but stinky rotting cabbage (or pickles), I'm game.

Also, this thread really makes me want to make MORE pickles, even though I already have so many at home. People like pickles for Christmas right? I know I would.

Maybe I'll give sauerkraut a whack

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

The function of the crock is essentially to keep it dark, which a closed cupboard does just as effectively.

I'll update you on how it turns out. I need to get some of the right size rocks from the beach, maybe I'll go rock-hunting day after tomorrow.