Your favorite non-cucumber pickle...
beesneeds
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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ritaweeda
4 years agosushipup1
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Favorite pickling cucumber
Comments (4)Making pickles is far less about the variety of cucumber and much more about the processing method. Simply put if you are going to follow current USDA safety guidelines you will almost always end up with mushy pickles. The reason is that the current guidelines require heating (cooking) the cucumbers and this isn't something cucumbers respond to without getting mushy. Having said that I have used Diva, Sweet Success, County Fair and others for pickling. I use pretty much anything I grow other than the novelty types like 'lemon' for cukes. If pickled without heat they are all crisp and remain so for at least a year although they do soften a bit over time (but still have crunch). The recipe I use is this. I can't give credit to the person who posted it other than to say AllRecipes.com lists it, but they have modified it without the author's permission to include cooking the cukes and the person was (maybe still is) a Garden Web member. INGREDIENTS  8 pounds 3 to 4 inch long pickling cucumbers  4 cups white vinegar  12 cups water  2/3 cup pickling salt  16 cloves garlic, peeled and halved  8 sprigs fresh dill weed  8 heads fresh dill weed DIRECTIONS 1. Wash cucumbers, and place in the sink ( I use the bathtub!) with cold water and lots of ice cubes. Soak in ice water for at least 2 hours but no more than 8 hours. Refresh ice as required. Sterilize 8 (1 quart ) canning jars and lids in boiling water for at least 10 minutes. 2. In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine the vinegar, water, and pickling salt. Bring the brine to a rapid boil. 3. In each jar, place 2 half-cloves of garlic, one head of dill, then enough cucumbers to fill the jar (about 1 pound). Then add 2 more garlic halves, and 1 sprig of dill. Fill jars with hot brine. Seal jars, making sure you have cleaned the jar's rims of any residue. 4. Process sealed jars in a boiling water bath. Process quart jars for 15 minutes. 5. Store pickles for a minimum of 8 weeks before eating. Refrigerate after opening. Pickles will keep for up to 2 years if stored in a cool dry place. The reason this recipe isn't acceptable under current USDA guidelines is that the vinegar to water ratio isn't high enough and everyone who wants crisp pickles omits step 4 entirely. Some people report that using 'Pickle Crisp' helps avoid the mushiness. Yummy, crispy and haven't gotten ill yet ;-)...See MoreAnything besides pickles for cucumbers?
Comments (22)Here's my recipe, porkster. It's a whole lot better than store-bought relish. You can double this. I did all the chopping by pulsing roughly chopped vegetables in the food processor. You might substitute hot peppers for some of the bells. Sweet Pickle Relish 4 cups chopped seeded, unpeeled cucumbers (about 4) 1 cup chopped green bell peppers (about 2) 1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers (about 1) 3 cups chopped onions 3 cups finely diced celery 1 tablespoon celery seeds 1/4 cup salt (I use pickling salt) 3 1/2 cups sugar 2 cups white vinegar 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds Combine all vegetables in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Cover with cold water, let stand 4 hours. Drain thoroughly in colander, press out all excess liquid. Combine sugar, vinegar, celery seed, and mustard seed. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stir in drained vegetables, simmer 10 minutes. Pack into jars to within 1/2 inch of the top. Put on cap, screw band firmly tight. Process in boiling water bath 10 minutes. Yield 5-6 pints....See MoreCan non-pickling cucumbers be pickled?
Comments (4)Sure you can Astrid. ;) I'll even stick my neck out and say that most don't use pickling cukes to make their pickles with - especially sliced varieties. Regular cucumbers make great bread and butter, dill slices or slabs or spears, sweet slices or chunks, relishes, etc. The slices may be a little bigger than those from pickling varieties but just as good. We like dill slabs for hamburgers so I cut the cuke on the diagonal (degree is your choice) into about 3/8 inch slices and stack them in quart jars with a head of dill, pour on the boiling dill mix (3 c sugar, 2 T canning salt, 6 c vinegar, 2 T pickling spice) and process 10 min. in BWB. Just one idea. ;) Dave PS: I soak the cuke slabs in heavily iced water for 2 hours before putting them in jars. Keeps them crisper....See MoreGrowng Cucumbers and Making Pickles
Comments (10)Susan, Yes, you have to be careful with pickle recipes that are for refrigerator pickles or microwave pickles. Anyone can post a recipe online and that doesn't mean it is safe or has been tested for safety. Pickles that are not processed via canning can harbor micro-organisms, including the ones that cause Listeriosis, which can be very serious, particularly for pregnant women. In some people, listeriosis can progress to meningitis and even brain abcesses. Most of these micro-organisms that can grow in unprocessed pickles are invisible and don't cause obvious food spoilage, but can make people very ill and can be deadly in some cases, so before using any recipe you find anywhere, make sure it meets all the safety standards. The Listeria mynocytogenes bacteria can grow in pickles in the refrigerator if they were not properly processed/canned. I have seen unsafe recipes printed in national magazines that generally enjoy a fine reputation in recent years. I'll be reading one of those recipes and shaking my head and telling Tim "watch for the retraction/correction in the next issue" and an issue or two later, there it will be. With the resurgence of popularity of canning, a lot of people are not doing due diligence and posting/printing safety-approved recipes. That is very dangerous. One thing that really bothers me is when people say that they will continue using unsafe practices "because I haven't killed anyone yet". That just horrifies me and I equate it will playing Russian roulette with people's lives. Suzie, I learned that one the hard way myself a long time ago. Nowadays, as soon as the canning products start appearing on the aisles, I stock up on everything I think I'll need for the entire season. A couple of years ago when I had the incredible fruit season, I bought enough pectin to last me forever because the stores had it sometimes, and didn't have it other times, so I bought it every time I was in the store. Ultimately, I had quite a few boxes left over. Now I am hoping I'll be able to use it up before it expires this summer! I've linked an article that covers the refrigerator pickle issue pretty well. I hate that they aren't considered safe any longer. When I was a teenager I worked in a restaurant and made refrigerator pickles for it every week. You cannot do that nowadays. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Safety of Unprocessed Pickles/Refrigerator Pickles...See MoreWalnutCreek Zone 7b/8a
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