So I've been wanting to try doing home pickling ever since I read
Michael Pollan's "Cooked".

So I got myself a dozen pint and a half Mason jars. Sterilized the lids
and jars.

Then I created a brine of 2 tablespoons salt to one quart of water. Did
a total of two quarts like this.

Then I stuffed some dill, garlic and black tea in the jars. Packed in
the pickling cucumbers and then poured int he brine and sealed them.
Used about 2.5lbs of cucumbers and a whole head of dill.

Let them sit for five days before I sampled. They're fantastic. Then I
let the other three jars sit for another few days. Perfect - a little
sour, salty, dill and garlic flavor! Gotta get a better tea to help
maintain crispiness though.

Ended up with four jars. One has been eaten already. One was given to a
friend. One remains to be opened.

I'm planning on pickling more than just cucumbers now.

On 12/30/2013 8:38 PM, T wrote:
> So I've been wanting to try doing home pickling ever since I read
> Michael Pollan's "Cooked".
>
> So I got myself a dozen pint and a half Mason jars. Sterilized the lids
> and jars.
>
> Then I created a brine of 2 tablespoons salt to one quart of water. Did
> a total of two quarts like this.
>
> Then I stuffed some dill, garlic and black tea in the jars. Packed in
> the pickling cucumbers and then poured int he brine and sealed them.
> Used about 2.5lbs of cucumbers and a whole head of dill.

> Let them sit for five days before I sampled. They're fantastic. Then I
> let the other three jars sit for another few days. Perfect - a little
> sour, salty, dill and garlic flavor! Gotta get a better tea to help
> maintain crispiness though.

I watch someone pickling vegetables on Victory Garden. They put
grape leaves in the jar to maintain crispness.

Not that I know where you'd get those.

> Ended up with four jars. One has been eaten already. One was given to a
> friend. One remains to be opened.
>
> I'm planning on pickling more than just cucumbers now.

I'm glad your first try turned out so great.

nancy

On Mon, 30 Dec 2013 20:38:20 -0500, T >
wrote:

>So I've been wanting to try doing home pickling ever since I read
>Michael Pollan's "Cooked".
>
>So I got myself a dozen pint and a half Mason jars. Sterilized the lids
>and jars.
>
>Then I created a brine of 2 tablespoons salt to one quart of water. Did
>a total of two quarts like this.
>
>Then I stuffed some dill, garlic and black tea in the jars. Packed in
>the pickling cucumbers and then poured int he brine and sealed them.
>Used about 2.5lbs of cucumbers and a whole head of dill.
>
>Let them sit for five days before I sampled. They're fantastic. Then I
>let the other three jars sit for another few days. Perfect - a little
>sour, salty, dill and garlic flavor! Gotta get a better tea to help
>maintain crispiness though.
>
>Ended up with four jars. One has been eaten already. One was given to a
>friend. One remains to be opened.
>
>I'm planning on pickling more than just cucumbers now.

Good for you, they sound wonderful. It sounds like you did more of a
natural fermentation than pickling, very healty.

koko
--
Food is our common ground, a universal experience
James Beard

www.kokoscornerblog.com

In article >,
Nancy Young > wrote:

>
> I watch someone pickling vegetables on Victory Garden. They put
> grape leaves in the jar to maintain crispness.

Nancy, that's what I grew up with, too. Mom always put a grape leaf on
top before filling the (fresh pack) jars with boiling brine.
--
Barb,
http://www.barbschaller.com, as of April 8, 2013.

"Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> Nancy Young > wrote:
>
>>
>> I watch someone pickling vegetables on Victory Garden. They put
>> grape leaves in the jar to maintain crispness.
>
> Nancy, that's what I grew up with, too. Mom always put a grape leaf on
> top before filling the (fresh pack) jars with boiling brine.

Do you still do that, Barb?

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

Ophelia wrote:
>
> "Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
> ...
> > In article >,
> > Nancy Young > wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> I watch someone pickling vegetables on Victory Garden. They put
> >> grape leaves in the jar to maintain crispness.
> >
> > Nancy, that's what I grew up with, too. Mom always put a grape leaf on
> > top before filling the (fresh pack) jars with boiling brine.
>
> Do you still do that, Barb?

I wonder if that really makes a difference or is it just an urban
myth?

G.

"Gary" > wrote in message ...
> Ophelia wrote:
>>
>> "Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > In article >,
>> > Nancy Young > wrote:
>> >
>> >>
>> >> I watch someone pickling vegetables on Victory Garden. They put
>> >> grape leaves in the jar to maintain crispness.
>> >
>> > Nancy, that's what I grew up with, too. Mom always put a grape leaf on
>> > top before filling the (fresh pack) jars with boiling brine.
>>
>> Do you still do that, Barb?
>
> I wonder if that really makes a difference or is it just an urban
> myth?

Me too.
--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On Wed, 15 Jan 2014 21:00:27 -0000, "Ophelia"
> wrote:

>
>
>"Gary" > wrote in message ...
>> Ophelia wrote:
>>>
>>> "Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>> > In article >,
>>> > Nancy Young > wrote:
>>> >
>>> >>
>>> >> I watch someone pickling vegetables on Victory Garden. They put
>>> >> grape leaves in the jar to maintain crispness.
>>> >
>>> > Nancy, that's what I grew up with, too. Mom always put a grape leaf on
>>> > top before filling the (fresh pack) jars with boiling brine.
>>>
>>> Do you still do that, Barb?
>>
>> I wonder if that really makes a difference or is it just an urban
>> myth?
>
>Me too.

When I pickle, I top the jar off with a bit of cabbage leaf. I do that
to help keep the product down in the brine.

koko
--
Food is our common ground, a universal experience
James Beard

www.kokoscornerblog.com

> wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 15 Jan 2014 21:00:27 -0000, "Ophelia"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>
>>"Gary" > wrote in message
...
>>> Ophelia wrote:
>>>>
>>>> "Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
>>>> ...
>>>> > In article >,
>>>> > Nancy Young > wrote:
>>>> >
>>>> >>
>>>> >> I watch someone pickling vegetables on Victory Garden. They put
>>>> >> grape leaves in the jar to maintain crispness.
>>>> >
>>>> > Nancy, that's what I grew up with, too. Mom always put a grape leaf
>>>> > on
>>>> > top before filling the (fresh pack) jars with boiling brine.
>>>>
>>>> Do you still do that, Barb?
>>>
>>> I wonder if that really makes a difference or is it just an urban
>>> myth?
>>
>>Me too.
>
> When I pickle, I top the jar off with a bit of cabbage leaf. I do that
> to help keep the product down in the brine.

I would never have thought of using cabbage))
--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On 2013-12-31 01:38:20 +0000, T said:

> So I've been wanting to try doing home pickling ever since I read
> Michael Pollan's "Cooked".
>
> So I got myself a dozen pint and a half Mason jars. Sterilized the lids
> and jars.
>
> Then I created a brine of 2 tablespoons salt to one quart of water. Did
> a total of two quarts like this.
>
> Then I stuffed some dill, garlic and black tea in the jars. Packed in
> the pickling cucumbers and then poured int he brine and sealed them.
> Used about 2.5lbs of cucumbers and a whole head of dill.
>
> Let them sit for five days before I sampled. They're fantastic. Then I
> let the other three jars sit for another few days. Perfect - a little
> sour, salty, dill and garlic flavor! Gotta get a better tea to help
> maintain crispiness though.
>
> Ended up with four jars. One has been eaten already. One was given to a
> friend. One remains to be opened.
>
> I'm planning on pickling more than just cucumbers now.

Sounds great. Though quite the novice, I think pickling is really
great. I've never sterilized jars/lids. I keep them out of the fridge
for 5-7 days, then when I open them they go in the fridge. I assume I'm
not risking bottulism.

On 2014-01-15 21:36:49 +0000, said:

> On Wed, 15 Jan 2014 21:00:27 -0000, "Ophelia"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> "Gary" > wrote in message ...
>>> Ophelia wrote:
>>>>
>>>> "Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
>>>> ...
>>>>> In article >,
>>>>> Nancy Young > wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I watch someone pickling vegetables on Victory Garden. They put
>>>>>> grape leaves in the jar to maintain crispness.
>>>>>
>>>>> Nancy, that's what I grew up with, too. Mom always put a grape leaf on
>>>>> top before filling the (fresh pack) jars with boiling brine.
>>>>
>>>> Do you still do that, Barb?
>>>
>>> I wonder if that really makes a difference or is it just an urban
>>> myth?
>>
>> Me too.
>
> When I pickle, I top the jar off with a bit of cabbage leaf. I do that
> to help keep the product down in the brine.
>
> koko

And so do I--from now on! Great idea!