Reusing commerical pickle juice???
meszaros9
18 years ago
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meszaros9
18 years agoRelated Discussions
Reusing potting soil
Comments (66)There is so much "off" with that video, I hardly know where to start!! The reason it is suggested to use fresh potting soil each season is less to do with disease issues than it is with the deterioration of the soil itself. Most potting soils - soil-less mixes - are peat or coir based and with very small particle size. Some also have compost as part of their composition. These are all forms of organic matter and will continue to breakdown and decompose and compress. As a result, pore spaces between the particles are also tiny and the watering frequency required for container growing tends to further compress and compact the mix, reducing aeration and therefore drainage. Bark based or gritty mixes - using a more textural and durable base - are less inclined to compaction and can hold up longer. A peat based mix is pretty much useless by the end of the growing season. At the very least, the soil needs to be refreshed. And that is done by adding new, unused potting soil at 50% by volume. Adding perlite (not 'perilite') or pumice or grit is not a bad idea as well - they will also help to establish new pore spaces and maintain aeration/reduce compaction. As to the use of granular organics in a potting mix........not at all an efficient or effective approach with container gardening. Dry organics require the activities of soil organisms to break them down into a plant usable form in a process known as mineralization. Without sufficiently high populations of these microorganisms, the product just sits in the soil, unavailable to the plants and unused. And any population of soil organisms in just about any potting soils will be minimal...........because there is no 'real' soil (aka dirt) in the mix and peat and coir do not support this sort of biological life. No bugs = unprocessed and unused, unavailable organic fertilizers. It is very difficult to be completely organic and yet still grow successfully in containers - the two methodologies tend to work at cross purposes. You can get by with using liquid or water soluble organic fertilizers but these are few and far between. Organic fertilizers just do not lend themselves well to this method of production. And by definition they are slow release, often not offering up appropriate nutrients (provided there is the biological element present to deliver them at all) until too late in the season to be of value. It boils down to what you are willing to accept with regards to your container plant growth. Acceptable but less than stellar performance or lush, healthy and bountiful crops. One will come with reusing what is likely an inferior soil mix to begin with and augmenting with a mostly unusable fertilizer regime or start with a high quality, durable potting mix and fertilize with an appropriate liquid or water soluble fertilizer......probably not one that is organic in its derivation....See MoreCan you reuse pickling juice?
Comments (6)You can't reuse it to can up more pickles as it contains juices from the former pickles that weaken it making it unsafe to use in that manner. Keep it to use for extra flavoring in pasta and potato salads. I've used good pickling juice in the spring when I ran out of pickled beets. Take a bottle or even store bought can of regular beets, drain well and put in a container that has a lid. Slice 1/4 to 1/2 small onion thinly, and put some of the pickling juice (probably 1 cup +/-) and the onion in a small pan. Boil together for about 5 minutes. Pour over beets in the bowl and stir together well. Try to submerge all the beets in the juice. Put the lid on and place the bowl in the fridge. I let it set at least overnight. Should keep well in the fridge for several days but mine is usually gone in a day or two. I always can pickled beets with added sliced onions and miss them when they are gone. This is a good way to add a different flavor to plain ones. Crystal...See MorePickle haul and BWB questions
Comments (10)The only way you can "know" if your home canned goods are safe to consume is to have them tested for bacteria after they were processed and after they were in storage (when bacteria has a chance to grow into a toxin). As home-canners we don't have that capability, so we need to increase the safety by using tested recipes in the jar sizes suggested, and the tested amount of time for processing, is how we improve the chances the foods remain safe to consume after processing and throughout storage. You decrease the safety each time you alter the recipe with ingredients (which can change the pH), by doubling the recipes, or using the incorrect size jars and/or processing times. There are no foods suggested for canning in gallon jars, and the only ones suggested for 1/2-gallon jars are grape juice and apple juice, according to the manufacturers of the jars. It's impossible, without testing, to know if you got the correct amount of heat penetration for a proper amount of time to kill bacteria in that much food. The commercial one-trip jars, reusing the lids that came with them, are also suspect for safe canning. You can't be sure there was enough sealing compound left on the lids to seal properly not only during processing, but also during storage even if they did seal during processing. The suggested clearance for the water over the jars in a BWB is 1-2 inches. If you have a Ball Blue Book, you can read all of this information in the front of the book. Since there isn't a processing time for 1/2-gallon jars, I would consider your first batch in 1/2-gallon jars suspect for safety. You are playing "canning roulette" and you'll have to decide what's safe and unsafe according to food safety standards for these canned goods. I'd suggest you go to the link below and take the "Preserving Food At Home" Self-Study Canning Coarse at the National Center for Home Food Preservation. I also suggest you call the Family and Consumer Sciences County Extension Agent at your County Cooperative Extension Office for some up-to-date canning information and to discuss your particular questions and how to handle them. I'm so sorry you went to all that work and didn't use safe methods. We all have to live and learn occasionally. All may not be lost and the County Extension Agent may have some suggestions to help salvage your canning day experience. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: National Center for Home Food Preservation...See MoreRe-Use Pickle Juice?
Comments (20)Hi, Lars...yes, I reckon they're all loose recipes at best, the only constant seeming to be the vinegar, salt and onions. My first attempt was also with cucumbers, and it inspired me to try the daikons and carrots. That lot is now 2 weeks old, and so tasty! The chillies and spices do seem to get hotter with time. I like your idea of just pickled chillies. I'll make a few jars of those myself this week, as the vege market is overflowing with them, all shapes, colours and sizes. And Beezee, if you're around, I did make some dill pickle potato soup, and it was wonderful! I made a few chapattis as croutons, and a handful of Swiss cheese on them. Will become a regular for me now. I only wish I had an oven here...only seen a couple in the past 6 years, and it's so limiting having just 2 stove-top burners...I wish you all would stop posting pics of wonderful breads. Drives me crazy! Edited to add, as you seem to be a fellow-aficionado of chillies, thought you might like this quaint, short article on the local ones... Here is a link that might be useful: Drying Chillies This post was edited by shaxhome on Tue, Oct 14, 14 at 4:14...See Moreshammierock
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