On 4/14/2011 2:17 AM, Ophelia wrote:
>
>
> "George Shirley" > wrote in message
> .com...
>
>> Most of the flavor in pickled stuff comes from herbs and/or spices and
>> not the vinegar. Vinegar is generally used to make whatever is pickled
>> safe to keep and eat. Creepy crawlies don't like vinegar. The standard
>> for pickling here is 5% vinegar, usually white but I suppose you could
>> use any type as long as it is at least 5% USP(United States
>> Pharmacopoeia) of course the UK may have a different standard. I have
>> used apple cider and red wine vinegar for pickles a few times but was
>> not happy with the taste of the final product. All of those flavored
>> vinegars in this country, with minor exceptions, are 5%USP.
>
> OK so I can experiment so long as the ph of the vinegar is right?
Sure, if you don't mind ruining a batch of pickles because the vinegar
gave it an off taste. I would make one small jar and refrigerate it
versus Boiling Water Bath just to see if the taste was right.
>
> Heh I still haven't worked out what I will pickle
Last year I pickled some yellow summer squash with a bread and butter
recipe. I generally don't like B&B pickles but I've already eaten most
of the last jar just by myself. Planted twelve straight neck yellow
squash plants yesterday.
>
>> We went by Lowe's garden center after Miz Anne's doctor appointment
>> this morning, picked up some more tomato plants, sweet chiles, squash,
>> both zucchini and straight neck yellow, and some Ichiban eggplant. I
>> will plant them later today along with some green beans, small yellow
>> pear tomatoes, etc. from seed we already have. Included will be the
>> George's Longhorn mild chile, I used sweet longhorns and various hot
>> chiles to breed them into a mild, very prolific sweet chile that
>> ripens red but is very good green. Took about fifteen years of playing
>> with them to get what I wanted.
>
> Ehh tha's bin a busy lad
>
>> Miz Anne is doing very well according to the doctor. He told her that
>> 25% of hip surgery patients her age die within one year, she's not one
>> of those according to him, another 25% go into nursing homes within
>> one year, she's also not one of those, another 25% tend to have
>> problems for the rest of their lives and the group she's in live to a
>> ripe old age without problems. He's thinks she's exceptional and is
>> healing rapidly.
>
> Excellent)))
>
I've always thought she was exceptional myself, the reason I married her.