On 4/13/2011 9:03 AM, Ophelia wrote:
>
>
> "Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
> ...
>> In article >,
>> "Ophelia" > wrote:
>>
>>> "Melba's Jammin'" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>> > In article >,
>>> > "Ophelia" > wrote:
>>> >
>>> >> Today I spotted pickling vinegar at the supermarket. I had a look
>>> and >> it
>>> >> is
>>> >> 6%. I suppose one needen't boil it down?
>>> >>
>>> >> --
>>> > Boil it down to what end? It's stronger than most vinegar available
>>> > here. I should think you could use it in any pickling recipe without
>>> > concern for safety. What will you be pickling, Miss O?
>>>
>>> Ahh I didn't actually buy any because I have plenty of regular 5% malt
>>> vinegar in my store. I saw it on a shelf of a store where one would not
>>> normally see such a thing and it had a fancy label proclaiming it to be
>>> 'Pickling Vinegar'! I was curious and had a look at it to see what it
>>> was.
>>>
>>> Just curiosity is all I had never seen that before.
>>>
>>> --
>>
>> Got it. For a brief time, there was (in my market area) a 6% "pickling
>> vinegar" made by Heinz, I think. I *think* 6% vinegar for pickling is
>> common (or at least not unusual) in Canada. Here, not so much.
>
> I haven't seen that but I haven't looked for it either. Once I start
> pickling new stuff, maybe I will have to start looking for different
> vinegars

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.

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.

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.