What is a good one to try? I want pickles next year

I did that too and had the same result (excellent tasting crispy dill pickles), but then my grandma caught me and warned I could get botulism from doing thatgarden5 wrote:I kind of cheat when I make pickles, in fact, you really can't call them pickles, I guess.
What I do is when I get a jar of pickles, I keep the jar and the juices after I eat all the pickles. Then, when I get some cukes, I just slice them up, stick them in the pickle juice, and keep them in the fridge until I need them.
Hey, they taste like pickles, so it works for me.
Botulism only becomes a problem in an anaerobic environment. In other words if sealed in a jar with no oxygen. Botulism also will not grow in an environment of sufficient acidity.I did that too and had the same result (excellent tasting crispy dill pickles), but then my grandma caught me and warned I could get botulism from doing that She said there has to be a certain level of vinegar or something. Is that true? I'm confused.
It seems just the opposite to me. Pickling cukes 5 inches long have pretty big seeds. Straight eight varieties can get twice that long before having seeds that big.Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but I'm fairly certain pickling cucumbers don't develope hard seeds as soon as other varieties.
Thanks for clearing that up, Jal.jal_ut wrote:Botulism only becomes a problem in an anaerobic environment. In other words if sealed in a jar with no oxygen. Botulism also will not grow in an environment of sufficient acidity.I did that too and had the same result (excellent tasting crispy dill pickles), but then my grandma caught me and warned I could get botulism from doing that She said there has to be a certain level of vinegar or something. Is that true? I'm confused.
I would not worry about botulism with the fresh cukes in an unsealed jar in the fridg.
jal_ut wrote:While on the subject, let me also say that the heat of processing in a water bath canner will not kill botulism spores. That is why we always process non acid foods in a pressure canner. A pressure canner gets hot enough to kill the spores with proper processing times. When we make pickles the recipes call for enough vinegar that the botulism spores will not grow. It is the vinegar that makes pickles safe when processed in the water bath canner. The heat of the canner will kill all molds, yeasts, and bacteria.
When the jars are being processed, the liquid in the jar boils and the steam escapes out of the jar taking the air and oxygen with it. That head space that looks like air in the sealed jars is not air, it is a vacuum. Hence the jars are devoid of oxygen and if there is not enough acid in the jar to prevent the growth of botulism, the spores can and will grow without oxygen. The problem is that when botulism grows without oxygen, it produces a deadly toxin. It is usually a death sentence to anyone unfortunate enough to ingest it, and it only takes a little bit.
This is why I always say use tested and approved recipes for home canning, and follow the instructions exactly. Don't add or subtract from the recipe as it could change the acidity, and don't make up your own recipe.
One more thing, if you live at higher altitudes, remember to add time or pressure to compensate for the lower boiling temperature of water at higher elevations. Check with your estension office for information.
OK, hope this helps you understand what the risks are. Home canning can be very rewarding, but lets be safe!
I'll get off the soap box............ for now at least.
The indicators in the previous post are very good. Botulism is the one we really need to worry about because it is deadly. Some of the other oragnisms that may taint our food can make us sick, but are not generally fatal. Most gererally if a jar seal has failed, we will be able to tell something is amiss with it and toss the contents.Is botulism the main disease you have to worry about?
Possibly not! The best protection is proper canning methods with approved recipes. I know, sounds like a scratched record.Is there a way to tell if it is already present in something canned?