First time pickler

15 years ago

Hey all, first time poster here. Found these forums tonight, and they look like a great source of info. I figured id toss out my problem here and see if anyone can help. Ive done several batches of fresh packed vinegar pickles, and have recently tried moving on to fermented pickles. However my attempts have been less then successful. My first batch seemed to be going well, started to bubble after 2 days and was forming a bit of scum. about a week after that, the odor turned bad, and i took a chunk out of one of the pickles when i was scumming it. They had all pretty much turned to mush, and the smell was pretty bad. Started a second batch right after i dumped them, and now after 3 days they are already starting to take on that same smell and getting mushy at the ends. The second batch did have more salt, as the first time i was using kosher salt instead of pickling salt. The recipe that i used is from Good eats, and is as follows:

5 1/2 ounces pickling salt, approximately 1/2 cup

1 gallon filtered water

3 pounds pickling cucumbers, 4 to 6-inches long

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon dill seed

1 large bunch dill

cukes were rinsed well and had the ends trimmed off, and placed in a crock over the spices. The brine was poured over that, and a bag filled with the remainder of the brine was place on them to keep them down. I left them in the basement, the temp is pretty consistently 70 degrees. Each batch was covered with a light screen to keep the cats and any dust out. Any suggestions would be most appreciated. My current thought is not enough salt, and maybe using vinegar to kick start things. Probably gonna try one of the recipes ive found on this forum for my next batch.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

readinglady
15 years ago
I'm not sure where the half-cup measure came from, but if you used weight to volume for canning and pickling salt, 5 1/2 ounces would be just shy of 3/4 of a cup, not 1/2.

If you used Diamond Crystal Kosher your problem would be magnified. It only weighs about 5 oz. per cup, so if you measured by volume and used 1/2 cup of the kosher you'd be even worse off.

I'm guessing your brine was indeed shy of salt, which would explain the decay.

Carol
adinin
Original Author
15 years ago
Yep, i do know that kosher salt is less salt per volume, and did add more, but not nearly that much. Thanks a bunch, sounds like thats a big part of the problem.
Related Discussions
Pot a Peck of Picklers
Q
Comments (6)
My bright idea was to get them going early. To that end, I started them very early inside in cups. Then transplanted them out to growing pots as soon as they had true leafs. I was prepared to cover them to protect from frost. We just had two nights of frost, and the vining cucumbers still look good. The bush cucumber has not looked good since the day I transplanted it and broke it's neck. So, it is hard to say if that is the cause of being in a pot too long; or clutzy handler. Of course, the true story will be a few months down the road when I count the jars of sour dill pickles. Oh, and I'm using burpee seed for this experiment; if it works out OK then I'll invest in something else; or not. ~dianne
...See More
First post, first time grower. . .staking my tomatoes?
Q
Comments (10)
I could be wrong about the zone - on a zip code lookup map it tells me 9-10. I am near the coast, and the weather here tends to be much more mild. Those "zones" are pretty broad classifications. Here's a fairly accurate description of where I live: "Salinas, CA climate is mild during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 60's and cool during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 50's. The warmest month of the year is September with an average maximum temperature of 74.60 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is December with an average minimum temperature of 39.40 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature variations between night and day tend to be fairly limited during summer with a difference that can reach 19 degrees Fahrenheit, and moderate during winter with an average difference of 22 degrees Fahrenheit. The annual average precipitation at Salinas is 15.12 Inches. Rainfall in is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is January with an average rainfall of 3.00 Inches." We do get some 90 degree days, but only a handful. I had read the FAQ about blossom drop. . .I don't think too hot is going to be my biggest problem. My neighbor (who's in something like his 60th year of planting tomatoes in his backyard across the street - he's 92) said he usually doesn't even plant until around May 1 because it's not warm enough to really get 'em growing; in his words, "they just sit there and look at ya." Maybe I'm misunderstanding the term "frost date." Is it a technical term, or just the last time that you wake up to frozen stuff around you? Stupid question, I know, but I have a feeling I'm not communicating something correctly. Yes, the plants get direct sun for at least 6-8 hours a day (I need to be a little more scientific about it), but it's been a cold spring - it's been in the 50's all this last week with a high of 63 projected for the next week. On the few hot days we have had, the plants have practically grown before my eyes, but they don't grow much during these chilly times. So. . .I can put in a stake without messing up their little root systems? Thanks, Christopher
...See More
First-time betta owner, first disease(?)
Q
Comments (2)
Make sure any disinfectant is thoroughly thoroughly rinsed off everything before returning before using. Best to just use some diluted bleach for cleaning algae off things than rinse rinse thoroughly. Generally just a rinse (no chemicals) is best for most of the changes. How much water volume did you add that 1/2 tea of salt to? Don't want too much salt. Bettas will actually do fine without a filter. Your biggest problem in small volumes of unfiltered water is uneaten food. Food that is not eaten immediately begins to rot and pollute the water. Rather than drastically changing everything once a week it is better if you once a day or so siphon out poop and uneaten food from the bottom and replace with equal water (a small fraction of the total volume.....maybe 10-20%). The advantage of larger volumers of water is that they are more buffered from the pollution of a tiny bit of extra food. OK what does your refrigerator filter do to filter the water? Is this just a carbon filter. That is probably ok. The bigger problem with small bowls in temperate areas is temperature! Bettas really like warmer water, at least in the mid to high 70s (F), and your room temp may not be that warm (probably is not). Stress leads to all sorts of potential diseases. If the fish is healthy and in the right conditions you don't need all the chemicals etc. Get him in a warm spot and maybe even skip feeding for a day or two (he won't starve, but he is probably not eating well anyway with his eyed clouded like that) and see if he improves.
...See More
First Harvest, first time growing anything!
Q
Comments (2)
Hi growlove and welcome to the forum. Your bean looks to be just about the right size for picking. Do you plan to do any canning or other forms of food preservation with your harvest? That is the focus of this particular forum - food preservation. For example, green beans can be frozen or canned, pickled or dehydrated. But you'll meet many new gardeners posting about their experiences over on the Vegetable Gardening forum here. Be sure to check it out. Vegetable Gardening forum Since you are growing in containers check out the Container gardening forum too. Also in case you didn't know, you can go to your Profile page here and create your own idea book - "My First garden" - with all your photos right in one place. Dave
...See More
readinglady
15 years ago
If you don't have the info already, you might find these weights helpful:

table salt - 10 oz. per cup (not recommended due to the free-flow agents)

Morton's Coarse Kosher salt - 7.7 oz. per cup (also not recommended due to free-flow agents)

Diamond Crystal Kosher - 5 oz. per cup (pure salt)

Canning and Pickling Salt - 7.8 oz. per cup (pure salt)

Carol
adinin
Original Author
15 years ago
Hmm, hadnt seen anything like that before, all ive been able to find were generalizations (i.e. this much kosher is about this much pickling). Makes more sense too why all the other recipes ive seen have nearly twice as much salt in them.
digdirt2
15 years ago
In case you haven't already seen this, I linked the Fermenting guidelines from NCHFP below. You may wish to review them before trying your next batch. ;)

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Fermenting Guidelines
malna
15 years ago
Your recipe is almost identical to my grandmother's. She (in her words) used a scant 3/4 cup of salt in a gallon of warm water (which sounds right based on Carol's mathematics) along with the dill and garlic. She also would take a knife and slit the cucumbers all the way through the center, but leaving the ends intact, so the brine would penetrate into the cucumbers. Then on the top of the brine, she always put a slice of rye bread, covered the crock with a flour sack towel and left it in the sun for five days. Then she'd strain the brine, put in a few fresh garlic cloves and a bit of vinegar (I use about 1/4 cup or to taste), and they went into the refrigerator. These have always been my favorite pickles.
readinglady
15 years ago
malna, I've heard of the rye bread method. Slitting the cucumbers is interesting.

adinin, in addition to the resource Dave mentioned, check the one I've linked to also. It does have some good info on fermented pickles and salt ratios.

Also, there are many previous threads that address various troubleshooting issues for pickles, fermentation temps, etc.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Homemade Pickles and Relishes
jimster
15 years ago
Fermented pickles are like the little girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead. When they are good they are very good. When they are bad they are horrid.

Jim
adinin
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the help all, everything ive found as well as what you are all saying seems be point to lack of salt as my problem. i came across the NCHFP link as i was searching, but the pdf is a nice find. I had also come across some of the pickle problem threads, thats what led me to this forum, but none seemed to have this particular problem. Tomorrow should see the start of the next batch of pickles, with any luck these will turn out good.
john_scott
15 years ago
If you have a scale (and ALL of us Alton Brown Good Eats fanatics have scales, even if they are kind of unitasker oriented....) try weighing your salt.

Mr. B. and my new hobby, bread-baking, have turned me into a "weighing-kind-of-guy" instead of "measuring-kind".

Good luck,

John Scott Smith

First time pickler

Comments (10)

readinglady

adinin
Original Author

Related Discussions

readinglady

adinin
Original Author

digdirt2

malna

readinglady

jimster

adinin
Original Author

john_scott

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

First time pickler

Comments (10)

readinglady

adininOriginal Author

Related Discussions

readinglady

adininOriginal Author

digdirt2

malna

readinglady

jimster

adininOriginal Author

john_scott

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

adinin
Original Author

adinin
Original Author

adinin
Original Author