pheasant16 wrote:
...
Sugar is no issue.
Do you can them or just throw 'em in the fridge?
i bring the brine to a boil and pour them over the
packed jars with the dill in the bottom, then process
for some minutes to seal. since we oven can that
varies from BWB method, but i think BWB is 10 minutes
from what i remember.
i've also had some leftovers in the fridge and they
come along in about a week and taste ok to me, but
they don't get as much of the dill flavor that i like
(i could eat just pickled dill :) ).
Found a website in Minnesota called Healthy Heart Market that has a
decent one, but paying 5-6 bucks a jar then adding shipping......
Yah calcium chloride to increase crispness is a thought.
I like your idea of a touch of sugar. That's one reason I always liked
the fermented ones, no vinegar. That's been the biggest adjustment for
the taste buds. But so glad to not have to give up a daily staple in my
diet.
as of Tuesday morning i'd done 80 quarts this season and
told Mom i was done, because we don't need any more, but
we have been picking close to 2 5 gallon buckets every 4-6
days. so we have a lot still coming on and are giving them
away.
i'm so used to apple cider vinegar that i really don't
like distilled, but the last two gallons of apple cider
vinegar i had to use was unfiltered and unpasturized so
there was foam to skim off when bringing the brine to a
boil that i've not had to deal with before. the taste was
a little different too, but after a week in the fridge
things were ok so i would use it again if i had no choice.
the slight change in taste for the canned versions will
be interesting when i start opening those jars.
Will do a couple jars in the fridge to find what I like then can if
that's acceptable. Am thinking though, that without salt, would you
need to pressure can or is the vinegar enough to kill the nasties?
no, the acid is what keeps things ok for most
low pressure recipes. if you ever see someone BWB
without acid do not eat their stuff, that's just
too dangerous IMO. Mom has oven-canned her whole
life including doing low acid things, but we don't
do much of that at all now because i won't eat them
and much prefer almost all of it eaten more fresh
anyways (beets, beans, etc. just lightly steamed)
or we freeze portions for later eating. [as a side-
note i think her recipe for green beans via oven
canning goes several hours in the oven. yuck, might
as well be eating mush by that point, but we ate
them as kids anyways - it was food and we were
hungry. :) ]
i much prefer not getting botulism poisoning... :)
i rinse the cucumbers off and then scrub them with
a scrubby to get any remaining dirt. with our clay
sometimes they can be a bit grubby.
all organic/natural methods here as much as i can
so i'll eat them from the garden even with a little
dirt on them from time to time if i'm hungry and out
picking.
songbird
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