hello,

I am growing some cucumbers (short ones, 3") which are said to be ideal for
pickling. If I just keep them in vinegar they get very 'vinegary', ie the
vinegar is too strong ! . Do I need to dilute the vinegar ?, I've tried malt
& white wine vinegar.

Thanks

K

KK wrote:

> I am growing some cucumbers (short ones, 3") which are said to be ideal for
> pickling. If I just keep them in vinegar they get very 'vinegary', ie the
> vinegar is too strong ! . Do I need to dilute the vinegar ?, I've tried malt
> & white wine vinegar.

My basic pickle recipe is to cut off the bloom ends of the cucumber and place
in 1 pint mayonaise jars (mason jars are not available here) add one tablespoon
of plain (I use "kosher" salt) and cover with boiling water. Put lid on it,
tap to loosen air bubles and let sit overnight to 14 hours at room temp.

Drain off brine, add spices, fill jar 1/2 way with 5% vinegar. Fill almost
to the top with boiling water, cover and after cooling let sit in refigerator.
1 day gives you cucumber salad, 3 days gives you mild pickles, a week gives
you "good" pickles. They seem to stop pickling but are still edible for
several months as long as they stay in the refigerator.

Spices can be a clove of garlic (in pickle terms makes them "kosher pickles"),
a dried chilli pepper, a few sprigs of fresh dill, a 1/4 teaspoon of mustard
seeds, 5 or so black peppercorns, etc. If you want a sweet pickle, add a
tablespoon of sugar, if you want a very sweet one add two.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 IL Fax: 972-2-648-1443 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:

> Spices can be a clove of garlic (in pickle terms makes them "kosher pickles"),

I thought kosher (actually deli-style, since there's nothing unkosher
about pickles to begin with) pickles were salt-brined and fermented, and
no vinegar added at all.

B/

Thanks, very useful.#

I assume that 5% vinegar means 1 part vinegar to 20 parts water ?

Thanks again

KK

"Geoffrey S. Mendelson" > wrote in message
...
> KK wrote:
>
> > I am growing some cucumbers (short ones, 3") which are said to be ideal
for
> > pickling. If I just keep them in vinegar they get very 'vinegary', ie
the
> > vinegar is too strong ! . Do I need to dilute the vinegar ?, I've tried
malt
> > & white wine vinegar.
>
> My basic pickle recipe is to cut off the bloom ends of the cucumber and
place
> in 1 pint mayonaise jars (mason jars are not available here) add one
tablespoon
> of plain (I use "kosher" salt) and cover with boiling water. Put lid on
it,
> tap to loosen air bubles and let sit overnight to 14 hours at room temp.
>
> Drain off brine, add spices, fill jar 1/2 way with 5% vinegar. Fill almost
> to the top with boiling water, cover and after cooling let sit in
refigerator.
> 1 day gives you cucumber salad, 3 days gives you mild pickles, a week
gives
> you "good" pickles. They seem to stop pickling but are still edible for
> several months as long as they stay in the refigerator.
>
> Spices can be a clove of garlic (in pickle terms makes them "kosher
pickles"),
> a dried chilli pepper, a few sprigs of fresh dill, a 1/4 teaspoon of
mustard
> seeds, 5 or so black peppercorns, etc. If you want a sweet pickle, add a
> tablespoon of sugar, if you want a very sweet one add two.
>
> Geoff.
>
> --
> Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
> IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 IL Fax: 972-2-648-1443 U.S. Voice:
1-215-821-1838
> Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

Nope, 5% vinegar is the standard percentage on the bottle of vinegar.
Some vinegars are available up to 10% but most picklers use 5%. Look on
the vinegar bottle label. Standard for a lot of pickles is 1:1 vinegar
to water, ie a mixture of 50% 5% vinegar and 50% water, aka half and half.

George

KK wrote:
> Thanks, very useful.#
>
> I assume that 5% vinegar means 1 part vinegar to 20 parts water ?
>
> Thanks again
>
> KK
>
> "Geoffrey S. Mendelson" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>KK wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I am growing some cucumbers (short ones, 3") which are said to be ideal
>
> for
>
>>>pickling. If I just keep them in vinegar they get very 'vinegary', ie
>
> the
>
>>>vinegar is too strong ! . Do I need to dilute the vinegar ?, I've tried
>
> malt
>
>>>& white wine vinegar.
>>
>>My basic pickle recipe is to cut off the bloom ends of the cucumber and
>
> place
>
>>in 1 pint mayonaise jars (mason jars are not available here) add one
>
> tablespoon
>
>>of plain (I use "kosher" salt) and cover with boiling water. Put lid on
>
> it,
>
>>tap to loosen air bubles and let sit overnight to 14 hours at room temp.
>>
>>Drain off brine, add spices, fill jar 1/2 way with 5% vinegar. Fill almost
>>to the top with boiling water, cover and after cooling let sit in
>
> refigerator.
>
>>1 day gives you cucumber salad, 3 days gives you mild pickles, a week
>
> gives
>
>>you "good" pickles. They seem to stop pickling but are still edible for
>>several months as long as they stay in the refigerator.
>>
>>Spices can be a clove of garlic (in pickle terms makes them "kosher
>
> pickles"),
>
>>a dried chilli pepper, a few sprigs of fresh dill, a 1/4 teaspoon of
>
> mustard
>
>>seeds, 5 or so black peppercorns, etc. If you want a sweet pickle, add a
>>tablespoon of sugar, if you want a very sweet one add two.
>>
>>Geoff.
>>
>>--
>>Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
>>IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 IL Fax: 972-2-648-1443 U.S. Voice:
>
> 1-215-821-1838
>
>>Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/
>
>
>

> I assume that 5% vinegar means 1 part vinegar to 20 parts water ?

NO!!!!! It's vinegar that's 5% acetic acid. The amount of acid in the
"pickle" is very important. Too little and you end up with rotten pickles
at best, poisonous ones at worst.

The usual white vinegar sold in the supermarket is 5%, but some of the
flavored ones such as wine or cider vinegar may not be. Balsamic
vinegar is no good for pickling, it can be added as an ADDITIONAL
flavoring, but should not be used instead of regular vinegar.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 IL Fax: 972-2-648-1443 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

George Shirley wrote:

> Nope, 5% vinegar is the standard percentage on the bottle of vinegar.
> Some vinegars are available up to 10% but most picklers use 5%.

It's probably still around; many years ago in an odd lots (best
description for "fell of the truck") store, I found a bottle from
Germany of "essig essenz" (vinegar essence). Seemed to be farily pure
acetic acid that the user would dilute to their own purpose.

B/

Brian Mailman wrote:
>
> It's probably still around; many years ago in an odd lots (best
> description for "fell of the truck") store, I found a bottle from
> Germany of "essig essenz" (vinegar essence). Seemed to be farily pure
> acetic acid that the user would dilute to their own purpose.

When I was growing up I used to develop and print my own black and white
photographs. One of the steps was to soak the film for 45 seconds in a bath
made from acetic acid, about 1%. This stopped development and was
called a "stop bath". When I did not have the official chemical
to use, I would use vinegar and dilute it.

I would buy what was called "glacial acetic acid". It was almost 100%
acetic acid. At 62F (cold room temperature) it would form crystals and
freeze like ice breaking the bottle. I never had that happen as I would
always dilute it down to 28% which was the standard photographic
"stock solution" which was diluted when used.

Eastman Kodak made the acid I bought, but they warned you not to use
it for food. It contained traces of poisonous chemicals, or they did
not want to be sued by someone who used it on their salad and got sick.

Even in a 28% solution it was dangerous. It's rarely used these days as
it's been replaced with citric acid based stop baths. They usually include
a coloring agent that changes color as the acid becomes used up and to
prevent you from drinking it. Citric acid stop baths don't have the
vinegar smell.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 IL Fax: 972-2-648-1443 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

Brian Mailman wrote:
> George Shirley wrote:
>
>> Nope, 5% vinegar is the standard percentage on the bottle of vinegar.
>> Some vinegars are available up to 10% but most picklers use 5%.
>
>
> It's probably still around; many years ago in an odd lots (best
> description for "fell of the truck") store, I found a bottle from
> Germany of "essig essenz" (vinegar essence). Seemed to be farily pure
> acetic acid that the user would dilute to their own purpose.
>
> B/

Eons ago when I worked in a chemical plant as a plant operator we poured
a gallon of pure acetic acid into a vessel, don't remember what chemical
it was meant to temper but it did it. I had asked the lab folks about it
as we were picklers even 45 years ago. They told me how much to dilute
it to 5% and I would take a gallon of pure acetic home once a year. The
lab folks always got "test" jars of our pickles. The dark brown glass
bottles were excellent, when triple washed, to put home made wines in.
No light could enter those bottles. Waste not, want not.

George

George Shirley wrote:

> Brian Mailman wrote:
> > George Shirley wrote:
> >
> >> Nope, 5% vinegar is the standard percentage on the bottle of vinegar.
> >> Some vinegars are available up to 10% but most picklers use 5%.
> >
> >
> > It's probably still around; many years ago in an odd lots (best
> > description for "fell of the truck") store, I found a bottle from
> > Germany of "essig essenz" (vinegar essence). Seemed to be farily pure
> > acetic acid that the user would dilute to their own purpose.
> >
> > B/
>
> Eons ago when I worked in a chemical plant as a plant operator we poured
> a gallon of pure acetic acid into a vessel, don't remember what chemical
> it was meant to temper but it did it. I had asked the lab folks about it
> as we were picklers even 45 years ago. They told me how much to dilute
> it to 5% and I would take a gallon of pure acetic home once a year. The
> lab folks always got "test" jars of our pickles. The dark brown glass
> bottles were excellent, when triple washed, to put home made wines in.
> No light could enter those bottles. Waste not, want not.
>
> George

So that's where your temper comes from! Or is it the heels?
Edrena, plenty pickled herself.

Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:

> Brian Mailman wrote:
>>
>> It's probably still around; many years ago in an odd lots (best
>> description for "fell of the truck") store, I found a bottle from
>> Germany of "essig essenz" (vinegar essence). Seemed to be farily pure
>> acetic acid that the user would dilute to their own purpose.
>
> I would buy what was called "glacial acetic acid". It was almost 100%
> acetic acid. At 62F (cold room temperature) it would form crystals and
> freeze like ice breaking the bottle. I never had that happen as I would
> always dilute it down to 28% which was the standard photographic
> "stock solution" which was diluted when used.

OK, it must have been MUCH less than either of those. I remember it as
being extremely strong--but it was fully fluid, no crystals.

B/

KK wrote:
> hello,
>
> I am growing some cucumbers (short ones, 3") which are said to be ideal for
> pickling. If I just keep them in vinegar they get very 'vinegary', ie the
> vinegar is too strong ! . Do I need to dilute the vinegar ?, I've tried malt
> & white wine vinegar.
>
> Thanks
>
> K

Vinegar in pickles is a crime against Man and Nature.

Here's how I make 'em.

Find a container big enough to hold all your cucs. Glass is perfect,
plastic is ok. NO metal.

Heat up enough water to cover them and add kosher salt at the rate of 1
cup salt per gallon of water. You don't have to boil the water, just
get it hot enough to disolve the salt. If you want to boil the water,
that's fine. Use filtered or bottled water. I've heard you should NOT
use distilled water, but I don't know why. Allow the brine to return to
room temperature.

Rinse off your cucs - don't scrub 'em, just get the dirt and bugs off -
and cut a thin slice from the bloom end. About an eighth inch. Put 'em
in the container along with a whole mess of fresh dill, some whole
garlic cloves, pepper corns, celery seeds, cardamom, whatever you want.
Most folks will add pickling spices, but they have cloves in them of
which I am not a big fan. The amount of stuff you add will depend on
personal taste and how many pickles you're making. Experience will
eventually be your guide. In my opinion, you can't over do the dill or
garlic, so be generous.

Pour in the brine to cover the cucs and set aside in a cool, dark
place. Ideally 65-70 degrees F. Don't put a lid on the container. It
should be open to the air. Make sure the cucs stay submerged. I make
mine in a gallon jar with a wide mouth. I can fit a smaller jar filled
with water into the mouth to keep the cucs down.

Check it every day and skim off any scum that forms. After a few days,
you'll see some whispy, white stuff forming in the jar - that's
Nature's goodness. A week total in the jar, and you have pickles.

At this point, I take the pickles out of the big jar and put 'em into
quart jars. Squeeze in as many as you can. Add some fresh dill and
whole garlic cloves (yes, again).

Strain the brine though a seive and boil it in a non reactive pan.
Discard all the old spices and stuff. Allow it to return to room
temperature and pour over your pickles to cover. If there's not enough
brine, top 'em off with water. Lid 'em up and stick 'em in the fridge.

How long will they keep? To be honest, I really don't know. I've heard
anywhere from weeks to months. But it shouldn't be an issue. The
pickles are so good, they will be gone in no time.

b.

wrote:

> Strain the brine though a seive and boil it in a non reactive pan.

Not all of it.

Reserve a few tablespoons as a starter for the next batch.

Actually, I skip this step and just keep them in the brine in the
fridge. Keeps at least six months that way.

B/