gtr wrote:
> On 2012-05-08 23:25:59 +0000, Jean B. said:
>
>> Heh! In my youth, we would eat toorshi, which contained several kinds
>> of vegetables, including pickled bean. My sister and I would try to
>> squirt each other with the beans.
>
> Ah toorshi, that's the name I was trying to come up with! Some of that
> stuff is great, but much of it is just too high-acid for me.
>
Ah but I (with the exception of my teeth) love acidic things.

My mom used to make ours. Actually, I think before she started
making it, she got it from an Armenian woman. I can buy it fairly
near here but have no idea how the commercial version would compare.

--
Jean B.

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Tue, 8 May 2012 07:41:59 -0700, gtr wrote:
>
>> On 2012-05-08 04:55:02 +0000, Jean B. said:
>>
>>> I do have some Vietnamese pickles. Does that partially absolve me?
>> What would that be? Like the carrot/daikon sweet pickle thing?
>>
>>> Herring I haven't had for far too long....
>> If there's not a jar in my fridge, there's a thief in my house.
>
> CostCo still has some of this years batch. $4.25 for 26 ounce jar.
> can't beat that. Regular grocery stores sell it $6/12 ounce jar.
>
> Usually Costco only carries it starting in November until it runs out.
> This year it seems to be on the shelves even longer.
>
> -sw

I am probably going on a Costco mission in a few days (the sales
don't kick in until Thursday). Anything else I need to look for?

--
Jean B.

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Tue, 08 May 2012 19:24:37 -0400, Jean B. wrote:
>
>> Actually, the canning jar's label says it is Fresh Vietnamese
>> Relish. I guess the strips of veggies made me think it was
>> pickles. It contains cucumber, carrot, garlic, red pepper, sugar
>> and salt. The lack of vinegar and the presence of sugar make me
>> wonder why I got this. Probably because it was Vietnamese, and
>> I'd never seen such a thing before.
>>
>> Now, perhaps Barb or someone else who is into preserving can tell
>> me... The liquid now only halfway up the solids. Is this safe to
>> eat? Note that the sugar comes right before the salt in the
>> ingredient list, and there is not much visible red pepper.
>>
>> BTW, the visual appeal is enhanced by the presence of both
>> crinkle-cut carrot and straight strips.
>
> You can't trust imported Asian food labels worth a damn. It probably
> does have vinegar in it, just not listed. Or else it was salt
> fermented/cured, which means it created it's own acids (such as in
> half-sour pickles).
>
> As long as the veggies are not discolored, I'd bet it's OK. They will
> probably have a different texture (limp) the stuff not soaking in the
> brine.
>
> -sw

This was not imported from Asia. I must have gotten it at some
Asian venue. By now I have no idea where. It looks like a
home-canned product.

--
Jean B.

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Tue, 8 May 2012 16:31:27 -0700, gtr wrote:
>
>> Hmm. I've never seen a commercial product like that. But there are a
>> lot of open buckets with pickles in them in the back of a number of the
>> local Vietnamese supermarkets. The stench back there is so very
>> intense and the Vietnamese-only labels keep the mystery complete.
>
> I'd be all over those. At least once each. That's how I learned most
> of my Asian foodstuffs - "buy now, eat soon, ask later". I used to
> get stuff even my Vietnamese and Chinese cow-orkers couldn't even
> identify.
>
> -sw

Cool. Someday, I need to trek to Lowell, Mass. again. Lots of SE
Asians live there, so one can find unusual things. Oh, BTW, I
found kaffir limes at a non-Asian place a few months ago. I had
only seen ONE in a store MANY years ago and one on my tree (which
some animal stole). That reminds me. I need a new tree. A
friend killed off the last one, which I had farmed out for the
winter because I lacked a nice sunny place for it.

--
Jean B.

In article >,
(Judy Haffner) wrote:

> Anybody here make their own pickles? I've made the refrigerator pickles
> and they were real good, but haven't done any of those in a long time.
>
> Judy

I make bread & butter pickles. The recipe I use is pretty good. I can
them for shelf storage.
--
Barb,
http://web.me.com/barbschaller September 5, 2011

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Tue, 08 May 2012 22:59:02 -0400, Jean B. wrote:
>
>> Cool. Someday, I need to trek to Lowell, Mass. again. Lots of SE
>> Asians live there, so one can find unusual things. Oh, BTW, I
>> found kaffir limes at a non-Asian place a few months ago. I had
>> only seen ONE in a store MANY years ago and one on my tree (which
>> some animal stole). That reminds me. I need a new tree. A
>> friend killed off the last one, which I had farmed out for the
>> winter because I lacked a nice sunny place for it.
>
> I tried to kill mine this winter. I picked off the rest of the leaves
> (which were falling off anyway) and put those in teh freezer in
> ziplocks. And then it spent 2-3 weeks below 38F. I just looked at it
> tonight and damned if it isn't better looking than it was at the end
> of last summer - all sorts of new growth. But the limbs where I picked
> off the leaves are still bare except on the end where there new
> growth. I'll snap a picture when it's daylight to show funny looking
> it is.

Poor thing. But then one morale of the story seems to be that one
shouldn't hesitate to use the leaves (mumbling: which I have been
known to do).

--
Jean B.

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Tue, 08 May 2012 22:55:37 -0400, Jean B. wrote:
>
>> I am probably going on a Costco mission in a few days (the sales
>> don't kick in until Thursday). Anything else I need to look for?
>
> Sorry, every Costco is different.
>
> Oh, Tassos olives! A quart will run about $7. Some areas have
> reported them even cheaper (Chicago).
>
> -sw

Ah, so one can find them there. I started looking elsewhere today
and saw none.

--
Jean B.

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Tue, 08 May 2012 19:28:50 -0400, Jean B. wrote:
>
>> As for the turmeric... Why do so many manufacturers use food
>> coloring instead of turmeric? Bah!
>
> I've never seen a dill with artificial color. But then again, I stay
> away from those shelf stable ones.
>
> -sw

Most of them (here) have them. But that may also pertain to the
ones that I like (minus the coloring) and you don't like.

--
Jean B.

On 2012-05-08 03:55:41 +0000, gtr said:

> On 2012-05-08 03:17:18 +0000, Jean B. said:
>
>> I've never liked sweet pickles, and really hate it when someone puts
>> them in tuna salad or especially in potato salad since it pretty much
>> ruins it for me.
>>
>> Same here. Yuck! And it happens so often.
>
> Can't say I've ever had much of these. So I'm willing to try. I just
> pickled some green beans using Samuelsson's 3-2-1 pickle. 3 Cups
> water, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup vinegar. I've never put sugar in a pickling
> before.

Okay, debrief:

For reference, it's Marcus Samuelsson's pickling from his book Aquavit
as found various places including he http://tinyurl.com/7jcdf3y

I only had raw organic cane sugar so its the shade of ice tea. Not so
appealing. The okra I picked up at the Indian market when I got the
falafel mix*. It was really pretty and had no age spots. Looked very
fresh and much better than I usually see in the non-ethnic
supermarkets. It is, though, the toughest most fibrous okra I may ever
have had. I'm beginning to doubt its species.

Someone said I should parboil the green beans. Yes, I should have.

So they were both failures. The pickling though, was pretty nice and
not hardly so sweet as I feared it might be. I wonder if that's due to
using unprocessed raw sugar being less pushy?

I don't know if I'm violating a basic rule of pickling, but I intend to
fish out the string beans and okra and dunk a number of slabs of
cabbage and see what I get for my effort.

* I know that falafel is not an Indian dish, but the store sells falafel mixes

In article <2012050918535666689-xxx@yyyzzz>, gtr > wrote:

> On 2012-05-08 03:55:41 +0000, gtr said:
>
> > On 2012-05-08 03:17:18 +0000, Jean B. said:
> >
> >> I've never liked sweet pickles, and really hate it when someone puts
> >> them in tuna salad or especially in potato salad since it pretty much
> >> ruins it for me.
> >>
> >> Same here. Yuck! And it happens so often.
> >
> > Can't say I've ever had much of these. So I'm willing to try. I just
> > pickled some green beans using Samuelsson's 3-2-1 pickle. 3 Cups
> > water, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup vinegar. I've never put sugar in a pickling
> > before.
>
> Okay, debrief:
>
> For reference, it's Marcus Samuelsson's pickling from his book Aquavit
> as found various places including he http://tinyurl.com/7jcdf3y
>
> I only had raw organic cane sugar so its the shade of ice tea. Not so
> appealing. The okra I picked up at the Indian market when I got the
> falafel mix*. It was really pretty and had no age spots. Looked very
> fresh and much better than I usually see in the non-ethnic
> supermarkets. It is, though, the toughest most fibrous okra I may ever
> have had. I'm beginning to doubt its species.
>
> Someone said I should parboil the green beans. Yes, I should have.
>
> So they were both failures. The pickling though, was pretty nice and
> not hardly so sweet as I feared it might be. I wonder if that's due to
> using unprocessed raw sugar being less pushy?
>
> I don't know if I'm violating a basic rule of pickling, but I intend to
> fish out the string beans and okra and dunk a number of slabs of
> cabbage and see what I get for my effort.
>
> * I know that falafel is not an Indian dish, but the store sells falafel mixes

Are these for refrigerator storage? Current recommendations for the
brine would have his too weak for safe waterbath processing ‹ it doesn't
sound like processing was involved in this recipe; the folks who do the
research now want us to use at least equal parts of vinegar and water,
not more water than vinegar. My family's pickle recipe is two parts
water to one part vinegar, though.
--
Barb,
http://web.me.com/barbschaller September 5, 2011

On 2012-05-10 02:24:08 +0000, Melba's Jammin said:

> Are these for refrigerator storage?

Yeah a week or two.

> Current recommendations for the brine would have his too weak for safe
> waterbath processing ‹ it doesn't sound like processing was involved in
> this recipe; the folks who do the research now want us to use at least
> equal parts of vinegar and water, not more water than vinegar. My
> family's pickle recipe is two parts water to one part vinegar, though.

1/1 is impossibly too sassy for me.

On Wed, 09 May 2012 21:24:08 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:

>In article <2012050918535666689-xxx@yyyzzz>, gtr > wrote:
>
>> On 2012-05-08 03:55:41 +0000, gtr said:
>>
>> > On 2012-05-08 03:17:18 +0000, Jean B. said:
>> >
>> >> I've never liked sweet pickles, and really hate it when someone puts
>> >> them in tuna salad or especially in potato salad since it pretty much
>> >> ruins it for me.
>> >>
>> >> Same here. Yuck! And it happens so often.
>> >
>> > Can't say I've ever had much of these. So I'm willing to try. I just
>> > pickled some green beans using Samuelsson's 3-2-1 pickle. 3 Cups
>> > water, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup vinegar. I've never put sugar in a pickling
>> > before.
>>
>> Okay, debrief:
>>
>> For reference, it's Marcus Samuelsson's pickling from his book Aquavit
>> as found various places including he http://tinyurl.com/7jcdf3y
>>
>> I only had raw organic cane sugar so its the shade of ice tea. Not so
>> appealing. The okra I picked up at the Indian market when I got the
>> falafel mix*. It was really pretty and had no age spots. Looked very
>> fresh and much better than I usually see in the non-ethnic
>> supermarkets. It is, though, the toughest most fibrous okra I may ever
>> have had. I'm beginning to doubt its species.
>>
>> Someone said I should parboil the green beans. Yes, I should have.
>>
>> So they were both failures. The pickling though, was pretty nice and
>> not hardly so sweet as I feared it might be. I wonder if that's due to
>> using unprocessed raw sugar being less pushy?
>>
>> I don't know if I'm violating a basic rule of pickling, but I intend to
>> fish out the string beans and okra and dunk a number of slabs of
>> cabbage and see what I get for my effort.
>>
>> * I know that falafel is not an Indian dish, but the store sells falafel mixes
>
>Are these for refrigerator storage? Current recommendations for the
>brine would have his too weak for safe waterbath processing ‹ it doesn't
>sound like processing was involved in this recipe; the folks who do the
>research now want us to use at least equal parts of vinegar and water,
>not more water than vinegar. My family's pickle recipe is two parts
>water to one part vinegar, though.

Hmm, when I make pickles I don't use any vinegar.

On 2012-05-10 18:17:37 +0000, Brooklyn1 said:

> Hmm, when I make pickles I don't use any vinegar.

What do you use?

I am watching Alton Brown trying Kool-Aid pickles right this moment on
Feasting on Asphalt on the Travel Channel. He and his crew were cute
in their squeamishness. I am intrigued by the Kool-Aid pickles. I
don't even like sweet pickles, but I need to try them.

Tara

gtr wrote:
>
>On 2012-05-10 18:17:37 +0000, Brooklyn1 said:
>
>> Hmm, when I make pickles I don't use any vinegar.
>
>What do you use?

Brine.

On May 10, 3:26*pm, Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:
> gtr wrote:
>
> >On 2012-05-10 18:17:37 +0000, Brooklyn1 said:
>
> >> Hmm, when I make pickles I don't use any vinegar.
>
> >What do you use?
>
> Brine.

I have to say that I have never brined them. I now have a huge crock,
so maybe this year.

On Thu, 10 May 2012 18:26:26 -0400, Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:

>gtr wrote:
>>
>>On 2012-05-10 18:17:37 +0000, Brooklyn1 said:
>>
>>> Hmm, when I make pickles I don't use any vinegar.
>>
>>What do you use?
>
>Brine.

Sheldon is fancy! Tell us Sheldon, do you get your brine from the high
priced gourmet brine shop or do you use MalWart brine?

John Kuthe...

In article >,
Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:

> On Wed, 09 May 2012 21:24:08 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> > wrote:

> >Are these for refrigerator storage? Current recommendations for the
> >brine would have his too weak for safe waterbath processing ‹ it doesn't
> >sound like processing was involved in this recipe; the folks who do the
> >research now want us to use at least equal parts of vinegar and water,
> >not more water than vinegar. My family's pickle recipe is two parts
> >water to one part vinegar, though.
>
> Hmm, when I make pickles I don't use any vinegar.

Different strokes, Sheldon. I make fresh pack pickles, not fermented.
--
Barb,
http://web.me.com/barbschaller September 5, 2011

In article <2012051014103835999-xxx@yyyzzz>, gtr > wrote:

> On 2012-05-10 18:17:37 +0000, Brooklyn1 said:
>
> > Hmm, when I make pickles I don't use any vinegar.
>
> What do you use?

My guess is that he's fermenting them.
--
Barb,
http://web.me.com/barbschaller September 5, 2011

On Thu, 10 May 2012 20:16:04 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:

>In article <2012051014103835999-xxx@yyyzzz>, gtr > wrote:
>
>> On 2012-05-10 18:17:37 +0000, Brooklyn1 said:
>>
>> > Hmm, when I make pickles I don't use any vinegar.
>>
>> What do you use?
>
>My guess is that he's fermenting them.

Exactly. I don't much care for cooked vinegary pickles, I'll eat some
but I really don't like them enough to go out of my way to eat any, I
don't remember ever buying any, the closest I've come is the very rare
jar of sweet pickle relish and hotdog relish... however once I start
on good crisp half sours I'll finish an entire gallon jar full in one
sitting. But I do like cucumber salad (a la 2nd Ave. Deli), thinly
sliced raw cukes in seasoned vinegar. When my garden is humming
there's nothing like cuke salad with fresh picked young kirbys.

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Wed, 09 May 2012 21:02:55 -0400, Jean B. wrote:
>
>> Poor thing. But then one morale of the story seems to be that one
>> shouldn't hesitate to use the leaves (mumbling: which I have been
>> known to do).
>
> Well of course. They are called for in tons of Thai recipes
> (Makrut/Magroot/Lime leaves). They cost $80/lb here at the grocery
> store. This tree cost me $7 and came with a half pound of lime leaves
> on it already!
>
> -sw

Ah, but I feel sorry for my tree (when I have one). Actually I
should ask the Thai folks whom I got my last tree from. (I
suspect they are the ones supplying the limes to the shop where I
saw them too.)

--
Jean B.

haven't met many pickles i didn't like, Lee
"Judy Haffner" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> Do you have a favorite, or like several for various reasons?
>
> You might be like me and use certain pickles for eating with a sandwich,
> or putting in things, such as a salad, or maybe tartar sauce, salad
> dressing (if make your own) etc.?
>
> We always have dill pickles, sweet and bread & butter pickles in our
> refrigerator, and also sweet pickle relish, which I like in tuna salad.
> I like dill pickles with my hamburgers, but sweet pickles when I eat a
> egg salad sandwich. In pasta and potato salads, I like the bread &
> butter pickles,
> or sweet pickles best. I have a wonderful pot roast recipe, using
> chopped dill pickles, and it makes the BEST gravy! I also have a
> spaghetti sauce that calls for pickles and it's really tasty too.
>
> Anybody here make their own pickles? I've made the refrigerator pickles
> and they were real good, but haven't done any of those in a long time.
>
> Judy
>

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Fri, 11 May 2012 18:59:21 -0400, Jean B. wrote:
>
>> Ah, but I feel sorry for my tree (when I have one). Actually I
>> should ask the Thai folks whom I got my last tree from. (I
>> suspect they are the ones supplying the limes to the shop where I
>> saw them too.)
>
> I forgot that I snapped a picture of my sad tree. All that growth on
> the ends is new. The thing only had maybe 15 leaves on it 3 months
> ago.
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/sqwertz...n/photostream/
>
> Looks like a Dr. Seuss tree.
>
> -sw


That's informative, thanks. It looks kind-of spindly though. (I
should probably add that my thumb is somewhere between brown and
black,)

--
Jean B.

In article >,
Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:

> On Thu, 10 May 2012 20:16:04 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> > wrote:
>
> >In article <2012051014103835999-xxx@yyyzzz>, gtr > wrote:
> >
> >> On 2012-05-10 18:17:37 +0000, Brooklyn1 said:
> >>
> >> > Hmm, when I make pickles I don't use any vinegar.
> >>
> >> What do you use?
> >
> >My guess is that he's fermenting them.
>
> Exactly. I don't much care for cooked vinegary pickles, I'll eat some
> but I really don't like them enough to go out of my way to eat any, I
> don't remember ever buying any, the closest I've come is the very rare
> jar of sweet pickle relish and hotdog relish... however once I start
> on good crisp half sours I'll finish an entire gallon jar full in one
> sitting. But I do like cucumber salad (a la 2nd Ave. Deli), thinly
> sliced raw cukes in seasoned vinegar. When my garden is humming
> there's nothing like cuke salad with fresh picked young kirbys.

<sigh> Half sours. I don't know where to get them around here. Could
justify a trip to NY to the Second Avenue Deli -- it's across the street
and down half a block from where Margaret lives.
--
Barb,
http://web.me.com/barbschaller September 5, 2011

On 2012-05-18 18:12:21 +0000, Melba's Jammin said:

> Half sours. I don't know where to get them around here. Could
> justify a trip to NY to the Second Avenue Deli -- it's across the street
> and down half a block from where Margaret lives.

Are half sours made by brining, then?

On Fri, 18 May 2012 13:12:21 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:

>In article >,
> Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 10 May 2012 20:16:04 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
>> > wrote:
>>
>> >In article <2012051014103835999-xxx@yyyzzz>, gtr > wrote:
>> >
>> >> On 2012-05-10 18:17:37 +0000, Brooklyn1 said:
>> >>
>> >> > Hmm, when I make pickles I don't use any vinegar.
>> >>
>> >> What do you use?
>> >
>> >My guess is that he's fermenting them.
>>
>> Exactly. I don't much care for cooked vinegary pickles, I'll eat some
>> but I really don't like them enough to go out of my way to eat any, I
>> don't remember ever buying any, the closest I've come is the very rare
>> jar of sweet pickle relish and hotdog relish... however once I start
>> on good crisp half sours I'll finish an entire gallon jar full in one
>> sitting. But I do like cucumber salad (a la 2nd Ave. Deli), thinly
>> sliced raw cukes in seasoned vinegar. When my garden is humming
>> there's nothing like cuke salad with fresh picked young kirbys.
>
><sigh> Half sours. I don't know where to get them around here. Could
>justify a trip to NY to the Second Avenue Deli -- it's across the street
>and down half a block from where Margaret lives.


There is a brand sold from the dairy case - Ba-Tampt. They are as good
as any deli. Honestly. See if any of these stores are near you.

http://batamptepickle.com/wheretobuy.php

Boron

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Tue, 15 May 2012 19:34:16 -0400, Jean B. wrote:
>
>> Sqwertz wrote:
>>
>>> I forgot that I snapped a picture of my sad tree. All that growth on
>>> the ends is new. The thing only had maybe 15 leaves on it 3 months
>>> ago.
>>>
>>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/sqwertz...n/photostream/
>>>
>>> Looks like a Dr. Seuss tree.
>> That's informative, thanks. It looks kind-of spindly though. (I
>> should probably add that my thumb is somewhere between brown and
>> black,)
>
> Kaffirs grow very erratically. But that just adds to their charm.
> Mature kaffirs 7 feet tall are just as wild looking. This one just
> looks worse because there are no leaves in the center.
>
> -sw

Someday I'll shell out for a new tree. At least I now have a
south-facing window, so it might survive the winter.

--
Jean B.

On Fri, 18 May 2012 20:24:42 -0400, Boron Elgar
> wrote:

>On Fri, 18 May 2012 13:12:21 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:
>
>>In article >,
>> Brooklyn1 <Gravesend1> wrote:
>>
>>> On Thu, 10 May 2012 20:16:04 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>> >In article <2012051014103835999-xxx@yyyzzz>, gtr > wrote:
>>> >
>>> >> On 2012-05-10 18:17:37 +0000, Brooklyn1 said:
>>> >>
>>> >> > Hmm, when I make pickles I don't use any vinegar.
>>> >>
>>> >> What do you use?
>>> >
>>> >My guess is that he's fermenting them.
>>>
>>> Exactly. I don't much care for cooked vinegary pickles, I'll eat some
>>> but I really don't like them enough to go out of my way to eat any, I
>>> don't remember ever buying any, the closest I've come is the very rare
>>> jar of sweet pickle relish and hotdog relish... however once I start
>>> on good crisp half sours I'll finish an entire gallon jar full in one
>>> sitting. But I do like cucumber salad (a la 2nd Ave. Deli), thinly
>>> sliced raw cukes in seasoned vinegar. When my garden is humming
>>> there's nothing like cuke salad with fresh picked young kirbys.
>>
>><sigh> Half sours. I don't know where to get them around here. Could
>>justify a trip to NY to the Second Avenue Deli -- it's across the street
>>and down half a block from where Margaret lives.
>
>
>There is a brand sold from the dairy case - Ba-Tampt. They are as good
>as any deli. Honestly. See if any of these stores are near you.
>
>http://batamptepickle.com/wheretobuy.php
>
>Boron

They're typically way over priced, especially as one gets further from
their source. It's really easy to make fermented pickles at home,
half sours take maybe a week... at the end of the growing season I
make sour green tomatoes too, I love those.