Pickles

[nes]

Looking at the 9 slicing cucumbers in the fridge & knowing they aren't going to be eaten is making me sad. So I've decided to be REALLY brave and try pickling them. I think... maybe...

I've got my canning book but I'd like to read/watch a few other methods to figure out how I want to do this.

Does anyone have any good how-to-pickle resources for someone who has NEVER canned before?

[gixxerific]

Yes that would be nice. I want to learn how to do some canning over the winter so I can be ready next year. Like you said way too much went into the compost.

[Diane]

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=c ... en&tab=wv#

Vanessa, this link is full of videos. Good luck.

[cynthia_h]

there are also "refrigerator pickles." No canning needed, but you need to keep them in the fridge until they're eaten.

I haven't made refrigerator pickles, but the food section of the--yes!!!--newspaper features them like clockwork every August.

Cynthia H., on drive-by
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[nes]

Thanks for the link Diane, I tried YouTube but there was nothing good.

Cynth - how long to refrigerator pickles last? I actually really dislike pickles (although I really dislike corn & ate all of mine!!) so I was planning on giving them away but won't be visiting anyone for another 2 weeks or so.

Also - Do I have to use a stainless-steel pot or can I use a non-reactive pot? I only have specially coated non-stick (not teflon).

[a0c8c]

Refirgerator pickles usually last about 4-5 months unless they're eaten by then.

[rainbowgardener]

Yup - I got more cucumbers from my friendly local CSA farm than I could really deal with, given that I don't particularly like cucumbers. So I did them as refrigerator pickles. It was very easy, they came out good, and lasted until they were all eaten up, which was maybe 6 weeks or so, would have lasted longer if need be.

[cynthia_h]

"Non-reactive" cookware generally means not aluminum on the inside and not cast iron, either.

Maybe stainless steel (or whatever Revere Ware is)? Definitely enameled cast iron (Le Creuset and imitators).

I personally can't stand Teflon and its imitators. I don't like flakes of whatever that stuff is coming off of the cookware after one good, hot saute session.

Oh! I also have a stockpot which seems to be enamel over (?) some kind of metal. But I know it is definitely *not* enameled cast iron from its weight--it weighs much too little to be cast iron.

So these "non-reactive" types of cookware are recommended when making acidic foods, esp. those which will be processed in a boiling-water bath and then sit for months while they wait.

Fridge pickles, as I remember from glancing through the paper, aren't cooked at any stage (unless maybe the garlic or onions get a light saute), but please don't take my memory as revealed truth. Find a reliable recipe and use IT, not my post!

Cynthia

[applestar]

I thought duh_vinci's Russian Half Sours were pretty tasty. Super simple to make, too.

[gixxerific]

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=canning&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7ADBS&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv#

Vanessa, this link is full of videos. Good luck.

Nice link, I just spent about 2 hours watching canning videos. I am now a professional and I never canned before in my life.

[nes]

I found this recipe http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Homemade-Refrigerator-Pickles/Detail.aspx and I'm going to give it a try this afternoon if I can get to the store for some more vinegar!

Thanks for the tip on the refrigerator pickles, that seems like a much easier way to ease into this canning thing. Maybe I'll purchase some cucumbers over the winter & try to can a jar when I have more time .

[!potatoes!]

my go-to non-reactive cookware is my glass (or pyrex, or whatever it is) saucepot.

[nes]

Thanks for all the encouragement & suggestions guys!!

I went with the refrigerator pickles but as there was little difference between them & actually canning them I decided, bravely or stupidly, to throw them back in the water bath for 15 minutes to seal them properly.

Well two have popped back up already so I guess I've got a couple jars canned & a couple jars refrigerator .

Either way I've got 8 nice looking jars to give my mom for her birthday tomorrow.

A few things I learned:

- pack in the cucumbers!!! they will shrink up lots

- water is HOT

- the towel method does work, but you do really need a jar lifter - OUCH!

- make sure your cucumbers are going to fit into the jar before you pour hot liquid all over them - again, OUCH!!

- this isn't nearly as hard as it look .

Those video links were GREAT, I used them lots as I worked.

There will be pictures when everything cools down a bit .

[nes]

Totally confused because the tops that popped up, popped back down (and then a third one has now popped up).

What's going on?

[applestar]

NOT an expert, but I know this one!

If the hot contents had cooled, the lids go down but the rubber seal isn't tight, but when you put them in the hot water bath and heat the contents up for canning, the lids pop back up because the heated contents expand and pressure increases. Once the jars are out of the bath and start cooling down, the lids will go down, and this time, because the canning process softened the seal, the seal will mold to the jar rim and a tight seal will form. Boiling for the required time also sterilizes so the contents won't spoil.

Make sure you mark which ones are actually canned vs. which ones are "refrigerator quality".

[gixxerific]

Congrats NES I can't wait to try canning myself. Told my wife the other day that I want I want a pressure cooker for Christmas. Might as well go pressure for the non acidic things.

Keep us updated how things went.

[nes]

Thanks app! That makes sense . All the tops have popped back down & are now well sealed. Wooohooo!

(I REALLY hope I don't poison anyone with these pickles... )


This IS in my kitchen, we have a washer and dryer in our kitchen (it's nice on cold nights!) & yes I do DESPERATELY need a bigger kitchen... anyway.

I still have 3 cucumbers left I don't know what I'm going to do with them!!
Too many pickles...



Everything boiling or simmering or being chopped it. This is my kind of cooking! Where I can get both hands going at once & really feel like I'm making something .


Mason jars in the hot bath. I used 500ml jars, they were the perfect size for this.


Whisking the pickling mixture.


The freshly packed jars before they went back into the bath to be sealed.


The finished product!!

Next time I would soak the cucumbers for a few hour before jarring them because everything really shrunk up after I put them into the jars; but that's just for aesthetics.

Gix - I'm DEFINITELY planning on a pressure cooker for next year, I'm planting tons of squash for the new baby and I want to jar everything up!!

[gixxerific]

Gix - I'm DEFINITELY planning on a pressure cooker for next year, I'm planting tons of squash for the new baby and I want to jar everything up!!

I'll take the pressure cooker you can have the new baby, but that's just me. especially just after working with my 6 yr old with his math.

But good luck on both. espeacially the new baby.