Making brine in advance for small batch fermented pickles
ekgrows
2 years ago
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matthias_lang
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Dill Pickles - fermentation & vinegar
Comments (2)The fermentation is created by the salt and enzymes in the cukes. Its a LACTIC acid type fermentation. The vinegar added will simply slow or stop its natural way or fermenting. Covering the jars with a plastic canning lid helps to reduce any mold on the surface, as well as allow a bit of venting of fermenting gasses. Usually its not really much mold, but a whitish scum. I don't allow that much time at room temps for fermentation. If I wanted a fully fermented cuke, I would only give it about 10 days to two weeks, and then add a bit of vinegar and place in the fridge. The cukes I use are very fresh picklers and are washed off and the ends trimmed off prior to packing into jars. I think the reason I never see mold is because I only allow 2-3 days of partial fermentation and then add the small amount of vinegar and place in the fridge. I also prefer to use a Mrs. Wages dill pickle mix with added fresh dill weed and fresh dill seed heads. The mix contains stuff that prevents mold from forming. I was lucky last year as my cukes matured in time while the dill was just going to seeds. This year with temps below 70 degrees even in all of June and now July, the cukes are still tiny plants and the dill has now started to lose its fern leaves....See MoreHow long should fermented dill pickles ferment?
Comments (13)I just made a batch of quick refrigerated pickles and I have a question..... first off, let me say my experence is limited. I used to make pickles by just adding some seasoning, pickling spices, garlic and water, put them in a tupperware, and refrigerated until they tasted OK.... they didn't alwas come out great, but definately edible. Recently I began to grow some Burpee Picklers, and I've been successful, so it was time to try my hand at pickling again. A couple of weeks ago,I boiled a mixture of pickling spices, dill weed, pepper, and sea salt; let cool, and poured over sliced cukes in a cleaned store bought jar with garlic and onion added, with also a small amount of 5% acid vinegar. The pickles taste good, but too sweet for my taste (can taste too much of the cinnemon from the pickling spice.)I call them sweet and sipcy. I let the jar sit at room temp for about 24 hours, then refrigerated. Tonight, I made a new batch. Boiled dill seed, dill weed, "it's a dilly" seasoning (has garlic, lemon peel in it also)and sea salt. After boil, I removed the residue, and poured over the cukes with small amount of vinegar, hot & sweet pepper, garlic, and onion, and topped of with some whole dill greens. It's sitting on the counter as we speak, and I planned on putting in the fridge after about 36 hours. Now, the questions..... am I way off base with my technique? can the pickles be harmful if left ut too long? what effect does the vinegar have in this process? Help, Help, Help!...See MoreFirst Batch of Crock Pickles (ten days in...)
Comments (35)Everyone, thank you so much for all of your help. I will definitely do this again, next harvest. What I've learned: the cucumbers that I chose were too large. In my tastings, the smaller ones had far better texture. I will use a different variety for the "huge" dills that I love. (Thank you for the recommendation, ksrogers.) They are not at all difficult to make. They do require a little bit of diligence, but even less diligence than "sea monkeys" do. The taste of these is absolutely better than fresh pack pickles, though not as impressive as I expected. Next year, I will use MUCH more dill. And, it is not necessary to buy that HUGE, beautiful crock that I was lusting after....I've got a very inexpensive aluminum stock pot that I lined with a food-grade plastic bag, and a little math tells me that I'm about $150 ahead... Carol, Jim, and Ksrogers, thank you, again, for you patience and advice on this. I was more worried about them being "safe to eat" than I realized, and your comments were both helpful and reassuring! Alright. My bread is in it's final rise, so I'm heading back to the kitchen! Wishing you all a wonderful afternoon, John Scott Smith...See MoreFermenting cukes for pickles
Comments (16)I'm so much more comfortable chronicling what i do than giving instruction on how to do something for someone else. For example this batch of pickles got off to a very fast start because of high summer temps. 85° instead of the 75°-80° that I would have preferred. Should be no matter as will just put in cooler basement temps a day or two sooner. (yesterday) Will watch at 65° for a day or two and then put into a 45-50° fridge for finishing. Maybe a month. I want the fast start for sure. If temps are cool then I'll just put in more starter to speed things up at the start. This fast start takes the place of weighting down the cukes beneath the brine with weight to prevent contaminated air from causing scum and mold. It works. I wedge the cukes into the jar so tightly that they stay below the brine. If you prefer to weight the cukes below the brine in the conventional way, you can buy glass beads at a craft store and put in nylon tule bags to weight down. Inexpensive and efficient. And the conventional salt brine in a plastic bag is hard to beat. I don't use but most people do I think. So buy hard cukes (gherkins, kirbys etc) Wash them and punch holes at 3/4" intervals maybe 1/2" deep and nip 1/4" off each end of cuke. Eliminates the blossom end enzymes and allows the salty LAB to penetrate and feed. Make sure a nice bubbly start is going on before moving to temps in the 60s for a few days & then more even cooler after a few days if is possible. I have a 45-50°f fermenting fridge, but a colder one in the upper 30s will work albeit slower....See MoreLiz Gross (5a, WI)
2 years agomatthias_lang
2 years agoLiz Gross (5a, WI)
2 years agobusylizzy
2 years agocanfan
2 years agobusylizzy
2 years ago
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Liz Gross (5a, WI)