Pickle recipes

[jsolomon]

I'm curious, does anyone know which ingredient really starts the fermenting process? I think it is the garlic, so am wondering if you blanch the garlic in water, roast it, or soak in vinegar (I used no vinegar in my brine), wouldn't that afftec the fermenting process? Or, are those methods for the non-fermenting type of pickle?

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Well, most of your ingredients ought to have some of the acetobacter or acidophilus on them, but if you'd point me to your recipe URL, I could see if there's some additional help I can give.

[Rachel Perlow]

Instead of looking it up, I'll just list it for you, it was so simple:

Cucumbers

Garlic cloves (peeled & slightly crushed, about 2 cloves per quart of cukes)

salt

pickling spice

dill (it called for fresh with the sead head/flower, but I didn't have any, so I just sprinkled in some dried herb, I know it's not the same, but I don't like them too dilly anyway)

water

[andiesenji]

This site contains some interesting facts about pickling - particularly in using brine without vinegar in the open. (Right side of page, second paragraph).

I make sauerkraut in a wide, open crock with just a piece of fine nylon netting secured over the top to keep bugs out. It is just finely shredded cabbage and salt. The fermentation comes from the breakdown of the plant material itself.

pickle brine and etc.

I have Joy of Pickling too and it is an excellent book. I also have a very old book, published in 1889, (House and Home, A Complete House-Wife's Guide by Marion Harland) that has a long and extremely involved recipe for "mixed pickles" which includes small cucumbers, vegetables etc., and is first brined in salt and water for a few days, then soaked in cold water, changed several times (to remove the salt) then brought to a boil in clear water, cooled and finally jarred with a spiced vinegar. It also calls for a significant amount of fresh grape leaves, not always easy to find unless one has a vine.

The author states. "I have been thus explicit in the directions for preparing these, because the same general rules of salting, soaking, greening and scalding are applicable to all green pickles."

I tried this recipe, exactly as the instructions listed, several years ago. The pickles turned out okay but not much better than the newer, more rapid procedures.

Edited July 30, 2005 by andiesenji (log)

[Mottmott]

I like to make a fresh sweet/sour pickle of julienned carrot, dailkon, jicama, and red/yellow/orange sweet peppers (any combo). Some recipes also call for cauliflower florets, but I don't care for the texture in pickles.

It's simple, roughly 1 pt sugar dissolved in 2 pts. Cool and pour nover the julienned root vegetable.It's quick and can be done just before making the rest of the meal.