Is a ceramic fermentation crock worth it? pickling

I've been making refrigerator pickles for a number of years now, and have made kimchi several times, and i want to start making fermented pickles. And i was wondering if a ceramic crock is worth the price? I'm on a tight budget since i started a new job and have to wait a few weeks before my paychecks start to go through but i wanted to ferment some pickles in the meantime and was wondering if there is a way to make them without the crock.

Submitted October 06, 2017 at 10:56PM by GIC16 http://ift.tt/2y18Xjr pickling

New to pickling and first jar was a bust. Help please! pickling

I am new to pickling and just tasted my first jar of refrigerator pickled cucumbers today (they sat for three weeks). It just tastes like vinegar. Did I not let them sit long enough? Bad recipe?

4 lbs pickling cucumbers 3 cups apple cider or white vinegar (or combination) 4 cups water 1/4 cup pickling or kosher salt 2 tablespoons sugar or honey (optional) 12 fresh dill sprigs and/or heads 12 garlic cloves 6 teaspoons dill seed 3 teaspoons black peppercorns 1-1/2 teaspoons red chili flakes optional: 3/4 teaspoon Pickle Crisp granules

Thank you :)

Sara

Submitted August 19, 2017 at 09:55AM by sara3art http://ift.tt/2wqcl8C pickling

just pickle not can - how long is safe? pickling

I have some jalapenos I want to pickle and preserve. I do not have a canning setup.

If I pickle them and store in the refrigerator, how long will they last?

Does anyone have a reference for storage times of (not canned) home-pickled food? My google-fu has failed me.

Submitted August 15, 2017 at 02:15AM by notdiogenes http://ift.tt/2uVPhdA pickling

Pickles have strong vinegar taste. Will that mellow out? pickling

I tried my hand at making homemade dill pickles on Saturday following this recipe.

I halved the recipe and filled three one-quart jars. Two of the jars formed proper seals, and I put them in the cupboard, but one did not properly seal, and is in the refrigerator.

The recipe said to wait 7-10 days before eating the pickles. I got curious today (two days after canning) and tried one from the refrigerated jar. It had such a strong vinegar taste. I know they haven't been sitting long enough, but does anyone know if this strong vinegar flavor will mellow out or have any advice on what to do if the flavor doesn't mellow?

For anyone who doesn't want to look at the recipe, here are the liquid ratios: * 2 cups apple cider vinegar * 2 cups white vinegar * 4 cups water * 5 tablespoons pickling salt

Submitted February 21, 2017 at 01:25AM by SlurmzMckinley http://ift.tt/2lfeUUS pickling

Beginner - Accidentally fridged after canning bath pickling

This is my first time pickling anything and I am pickling cucumbers. Followed instructions correctly for a recipe and performed a canning water bath for 10 minutes. I let the pickles cool on countertop and then somebody accidentally put them in the refrigerator for ~12 hours. I recently took them out and am storing at 72 degrees. Will fermentation still begin or have I completely stunted the possibility?

Submitted November 01, 2016 at 12:46AM by jmc856 http://ift.tt/2eNr70n pickling

Can I use these cucumbers for pickling still? pickling

This is a cross post from the canning sub. I bought a bag of mini cucumbers about a week ago and another bag today, from the same store. I went to start preparing them today and noticed that they had this kind of white'ish slime on them. I washed them all off and some of them were kind of mushy but the rest were fine, they were still firm so I think the slime on them was coming from the mushy ones. I googled and it was pretty 50/50 on whether or not you should throw them away or just wash them and use them anyway. Any experience with this? I've never had cucumbers do this before. I did make sure to wash them off really well and only used the ones that were firm but I marked the jars that had those in them in case I need to pitch them anyway. I would attach pictures but imgur isn't cooperating for me right now. I should add these are refrigerator pickles, I didn't actually "can" them.

Submitted July 04, 2016 at 04:11AM by stargirl142 http://ift.tt/29d5MZ3 pickling

Question about refrigerator pickles pickling

Hi /r/pickling! I'm new here. I've made a couple of small batches of refrigerator pickles to try out different recipes; I've found some I like and want to make larger batches, but have some questions. Thanks for your help!

My basic process is to pour boiling brine over sliced cucumbers (grown in my garden!) in sterilized jars containing my pickling spices (which vary). I know I do t have to sterilize them, but it's not hard to do. The non-sweet brine is a half-and-half apple cider/water with 2T kosher salt per cup of brine. I also tried a sweetened brine with full-strength ACV, the same salt ratio, and brown sugar (half a cup per cup of brine).

1. Currently my cucs are coming in at about 1.25 lb each week, not a lot, but of course their size varies. I don't care about that, but I care about their age. I don't want them to yellow or turn bitter. Is it ok to pick a ripe cucumber (rather than let it over-ripen on the vine) and let it sit on the counter until the weekend when I have time to prep them? Should they be refrigerated? I don't have central A/C so it can get pretty warm in the kitchen during the day, 80-85F.

2. Can I slice the cucs and add them to a half-full jar already in the fridge? Or is pouring boiling brine over them an important part of the process? I suspect it is... Is this "semi-sterilization" in place of actual canning?

3. In my opinion, the amount of sugar I used was too sweet; can I reduce this significantly (maybe to 1 or 2T per cup of brine) and use the half-strength vinegar recipe, or does that enter some territory where undesirable fermentation will occur?

Thanks in advance, again!

Submitted June 12, 2016 at 11:24PM by m4gpi http://ift.tt/28v1WDW pickling

I used a clove of garlic for my pickled eggs, two days later the clove looked blue-greenish and it is all mushy. Does this mean it is rotting and the batch I made is no good? pickling

I pickled some eggs again. This time I used Vlasic Kosher Dill juice, some pickling spice, onion bits, and finally a clove of garlic. I botched the boiling process, but figured if I stick it in the refrigerator it would be fine.

Now the garlic clove looks blue-greenish on the edges while still having that natural yellow in the center. I need some advice on this, because I'm not sure if my garlic clove has rotted and made my batch go bad.

Submitted May 28, 2016 at 02:46AM by Nigel_Yearning http://ift.tt/1TFC9iy pickling

I just bought some wide-mouth jars and wished to pickle hard boiled eggs. How do I pickle them? pickling

I also liked to know how to pickle using both the refrigerator and the room temperature methods, I want to get this right and not deal with botulism poisoning on the first attempt.

The jars in question are quart-sized, bought from a local Dierbergs. I have been researching pickling for a while but I would like to hear from experts just to be sure.

Submitted May 09, 2016 at 12:31AM by Nigel_Yearning http://ift.tt/275w7AY pickling

Forgot the sugar pickling

Just made some refrigerator pickled Cucumbers and Napa Cabbage. Thing is, I just realised I didn't use any sugar. Now, will they be inedible because of this?

Submitted February 11, 2016 at 06:01PM by MacGillycuddy_Reeks http://ift.tt/1oudPaE pickling

Refrigerator Pickled Jalapenos pickling

Hi everyone, this may be a stupid question, but I was thinking about making some refrigerator pickled jalapenos this week, and I was wondering why every recipe is boiling the vinegar prior to pouring it into the jars with the jalapenos. I was wondering if it would be possible to not boil the liquid, and presumably maintain a bit of a crunchier pepper. I've made refrigerator pickled onions before, and have never boiled the liquid.

Submitted February 11, 2016 at 04:22AM by spieg16 http://ift.tt/1PDMAkz pickling

Refrigerator pickling in recycled jars? pickling

Hey there! I've often made refrigerator jam and store it in pyrex containers for a few weeks (if it even lasts that long!). But, I want to try refrigerator pickling, and the pyrex are too shallow for most things. I know it is not considered safe to use recycled store jars for canning because they are not tempered for heat. My question is, is there any reason you cannot use recycled jars for refrigerator pickling/jamming if they are sanitized?

Submitted October 10, 2015 at 10:30PM by MNEL57 http://ift.tt/1jli4Ci pickling

Recently tried old family pickle recipe, and found out that it is weird and possibly unsafe. pickling

So, circumstances recently combined that I felt I should make some cucumber pickles. I got the old family recipe from my mom. She has been making these pickles yearly for decades and we have never had any sort of issue. I had never paid much attention to how they were made, and even if I had, I would not have known there was something off about the method. I have compared her recipe and method to a dozen others on the internet, and they are very similar, except my mom's method does not include a canning process. It seems her recipe is for basic refrigerator pickles, except she stores hers on the pantry shelf. For months at time.

Her method is as follows:

• sterilize jars in 250 degree oven for 20 minutes / boil lids
• create brine of vinegar, water and salt and boil
• cut up cukes and pack jar with dill and garlic
• pour boiling brine into jars up to neck
  
• apply lid until finger tight
• cover jars with towels so they cool more slowly
• next day check for seal - sealed jars go to cupboard, unsealed go to fridge

I asked her about the missing canning step and she said she didn't understand why it would be necessary given the inhospitable nature of the brine. I am sure there is a good reason given that every pickle recipe I see has some kind of canning method, but being new to the art, I don't know it either. Can someone explain to me why the canning step is important, and why her recipe seems to work without it?

Submitted July 26, 2015 at 01:01AM by HummusMoFoDoYouEatIt http://ift.tt/1GOR02u pickling

The metal lids and rings of my mason jars are getting rusty every time I make a batch of refrigerator pickles. pickling

I make sure they are super clean and that the interior rim is clean when sealing but they are all rusting out. What can I do to remedy this? I love having fresh pickles around and need to fix this.

Submitted February 17, 2015 at 08:05PM by penciljockey123 http://ift.tt/1AzQc4X pickling

Question regarding headspace pickling

I'm new to pickling/fermenting, and began after I discovered an amazing wholesale produce market not too far from me.

In a lot of recipes I find for refrigerator pickles, using cukes, there is very little liquid added to the jar, with the explanation that the moisture is pulled out by the salt. I have tried refrigerator cukes using one of these recipes, and after a day, there was a good amount of liquid. But a few days later, there is no more liquid producing, and my cukes are only halfway covered. Is this OK, or should I be adding enough to vinegar to definitely cover the cukes?

Thanks ahead for the help, and looking forward to my time in this sub!

Submitted January 28, 2015 at 01:49AM by GlitterRiot http://ift.tt/18qvJTH pickling

First attempt pickling! pickling

First try pickling by refrigerator!

I included carrots, cherub tomatoes, cucumbers, and green beans with various spices and 5% vinegar in pint mason jars. How many days should I let these guys sit in the fridge before consuming?

Submitted November 30, 2014 at 10:21AM by thereelkanyewest http://www.reddit.com/r/pickling/comments/2ntj01/first_attempt_pickling/ pickling

Can I substitute citric acid for 5% distilled vinegar? If so how? pickling

I want to make a quick refrigerator pickle, but I'm busy packing for a trip so there's no time to run to the store. I have food grade citric acid (lemon salt) but no distilled vinegar. It seems like I should be able to just add cirtic acid instead but how much?

Submitted October 10, 2014 at 04:27AM by encogneeto http://ift.tt/1smx2d0 pickling