Make your own pickles?

[TheBeard]

I also enjoy making my own pickles. There's a farmer's market just down the road from my apartment, and on weekends they have vegetable wholesalers; this means that I can get tons of veggies for awful cheap. With such prices (and the fact that you have to buy entire crates/bushels at a time), pickling becomes a great option.

What I do varies only slightly by vegetable. Since I do not have a pressure canner, I only make fridge pickles. To further combat botulism, I get vinegar (or a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water) boiling hot before pouring it into the container with the veggies. Garlic, onions, jalapeno, cilantro/coriander, dill, and other flavorings have all graced some of my pickle jars. Really, it's all about using what's at hand to make something delicious

[jkorp]

Originally Posted by TheBeard

What I do varies only slightly by vegetable. Since I do not have a pressure canner, I only make fridge pickles. To further combat botulism, I get vinegar (or a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water)

Interesting. This was my first time doing this, so I just used the brine recipe I found online. This recipe called for a 4:1 of distilled water to distilled vinegar with 2 tbls of kosher salt for every quart brought to a boil. Do you think that's too diluted to ensure safety?

At this ratio they have a good level of vinegar tang, it seems that a stronger brine would be pretty potent.

I decided to pickle the bag of Jalapenos my coworker brought me. I just sliced the peppers and used brine and some whole garlic cloves. Can't wait to try these.

[68TriShield]

Try some whole ones too Jason.I'll be expecting some samples soon

[jkorp]

Originally Posted by 68TriShield

Try some whole ones too Jason.I'll be expecting some samples soon

but of course

[TheBeard]

Originally Posted by jkorp

Interesting. This was my first time doing this, so I just used the brine recipe I found online. This recipe called for a 4:1 of distilled water to distilled vinegar with 2 tbls of kosher salt for every quart brought to a boil. Do you think that's too diluted to ensure safety?

At this ratio they have a good level of vinegar tang, it seems that a stronger brine would be pretty potent.

I decided to pickle the bag of Jalapenos my coworker brought me. I just sliced the peppers and used brine and some whole garlic cloves. Can't wait to try these.

I've never really gone by a recipe. I looked at a few recipes to get a general guideline, then I just made it up as I went along.

I didn't mention it, but yes I do (when I remember) add salt to my pickled vegetables.

I don't know the biomechanics of the safety, but if they're recommending a 4:1 ratio then I'd say it should be pretty safe. You can ask those who attended the Lake Herf and tried my okra and asparagus; pure vinegar seems to work just fine.

Good eats Let me know how those jalapenos pickle up.

[King James]

I love pickles, so making your own seems like a kinda cool idea