In a Pickle?
— 08/06/08
I get quite a few questions in my email box from homemakers wanting to make pickles from their garden cucumbers. I tell you - just ONE cucumber vine produces a lot!
Here is recent exchange that might be helpful to other pickle-makers!
I will tell you the pickle recipe below if VERY FLAVORFUL and what some may even call SPICY!
They definitely have ZEST! and are always CRUNCHY! Best when served very cold!
Mrs. C.G. writes Marmee:
"Say..I just bought your cookbook and I was wondering if you could tell
me if the "Greene's Dill Pickle" recipe turns out crunchy. I have had a hard time with pickles. No matter what I use they don't seem to get crunchy. I have tried recipes with Alum in them. I have used Mrs.
Wages. I like to make dill pickles, but I don't do the soak in the brine type. I use the pack the cukes in the jar method. Any help here is greatly appreciated as we are tired of throwing jars of pickles away after all the hard work.
~~
Marmee replies:
I have been making pickles daily too :)
Our pickles are always very crunchy and we get raves and compliments on them --
I too just hate throwing away jars of stuff the family won't eat after
all that hard work -- no more! Here is my revised recipe of how I do all
our dill pickles and they are fantastic!! yes sort of spicy and very
flavorful!!!!
I try to do up the cukes as soon as they bring them in from the
garden...waiting does not help at ALL! They need to be done right away!!
MY BEST AND LATEST ZESTY DILL PICKLES right from the GARDEN RECIPE -
Into clean quart jars put small / medium cukes or larger ones cut into 1"
chunks. Do not peel - always cut off both ends ( the ends can cause
sogginess and spoilage) don't use cukes with large seeds .....
Into each quart jar put:
1 heaping tsp. dill seed or 2 bunches fresh dill heads
5 peppercorns -optional
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes - optional
1 Tbsp. onion flakes
1/8 tsp. alum powder (must go in there or they will be soggy!)
2 whole garlic cloves - peeled and cut in half
1/8 tsp. tumeric
Then put your cukes into the jar on top of this
While you are doing all that have your pot of brine on to boil - when it
boils pour it over all to fill each jar:
BRINE -
6 cups white vinegar
3 cups apple cider
1 1/2 cups pickling salt - if you don't use and use table salt - they may get all cloudy?
19 cups water
As soon as I pour the boiling brine over - I seal them up after wiping
the rims and put them down into another pot that has BOILING water in it
until each jar is covered by BOILING Water -- keep it on high heat and I
do not let them stay in that hot water more than 10 minutes...long times
in this hot water will cook them to sogginess :(
They always seal and they taste best after 2 weeks in the jars...and I
refrig each jar as I open it to get them extra cold before eating...
These are just wonderful for us -- hope you all will like them too!
Pickles keep well but you can tell OBVIOUSLY if they did not seal well or preserve and are spoiled.
Watch for a broken seal on your quart or pint jar, sogginess, discoloration, etc.
DISCLAIMER: Do NOT eat any home canned foods that are questionable re: their freshness.
How did Mrs. C.G. do? She was so sweet to let me know how her pickling day went!
Soaking in ice water was a very good idea - but using them fresh from the garden makes the very best.
Mrs. C.G. replies:
" Thanks for all your help. We made 70 quarts of pickles yesterday! I'll
let you know how they turned out! I think part of my problem is that they
don't get done right away. I don't have a garden (praying for a house in
the country)so we buy bulk from an Amish produce auction. I bought 2 1/2
bushels of pickling cukes on Monday...but couldn't do them until
yesterday. So we will see how it works. I did soak them in ice water
before....so maybe that will help too.
Thanks for again. I love your cookbook. If the recipes keep turning out
as good as your banana bread (my kids kept asking where I bought the bread
from!), I will eventually order another to put away for my teenage
daughter! God bless.
Here is recent exchange that might be helpful to other pickle-makers!
I will tell you the pickle recipe below if VERY FLAVORFUL and what some may even call SPICY!
They definitely have ZEST! and are always CRUNCHY! Best when served very cold!
Mrs. C.G. writes Marmee:
"Say..I just bought your cookbook and I was wondering if you could tell
me if the "Greene's Dill Pickle" recipe turns out crunchy. I have had a hard time with pickles. No matter what I use they don't seem to get crunchy. I have tried recipes with Alum in them. I have used Mrs.
Wages. I like to make dill pickles, but I don't do the soak in the brine type. I use the pack the cukes in the jar method. Any help here is greatly appreciated as we are tired of throwing jars of pickles away after all the hard work.
~~
Marmee replies:
I have been making pickles daily too :)
Our pickles are always very crunchy and we get raves and compliments on them --
I too just hate throwing away jars of stuff the family won't eat after
all that hard work -- no more! Here is my revised recipe of how I do all
our dill pickles and they are fantastic!! yes sort of spicy and very
flavorful!!!!
I try to do up the cukes as soon as they bring them in from the
garden...waiting does not help at ALL! They need to be done right away!!
MY BEST AND LATEST ZESTY DILL PICKLES right from the GARDEN RECIPE -
Into clean quart jars put small / medium cukes or larger ones cut into 1"
chunks. Do not peel - always cut off both ends ( the ends can cause
sogginess and spoilage) don't use cukes with large seeds .....
Into each quart jar put:
1 heaping tsp. dill seed or 2 bunches fresh dill heads
5 peppercorns -optional
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes - optional
1 Tbsp. onion flakes
1/8 tsp. alum powder (must go in there or they will be soggy!)
2 whole garlic cloves - peeled and cut in half
1/8 tsp. tumeric
Then put your cukes into the jar on top of this
While you are doing all that have your pot of brine on to boil - when it
boils pour it over all to fill each jar:
BRINE -
6 cups white vinegar
3 cups apple cider
1 1/2 cups pickling salt - if you don't use and use table salt - they may get all cloudy?
19 cups water
As soon as I pour the boiling brine over - I seal them up after wiping
the rims and put them down into another pot that has BOILING water in it
until each jar is covered by BOILING Water -- keep it on high heat and I
do not let them stay in that hot water more than 10 minutes...long times
in this hot water will cook them to sogginess :(
They always seal and they taste best after 2 weeks in the jars...and I
refrig each jar as I open it to get them extra cold before eating...
These are just wonderful for us -- hope you all will like them too!
Pickles keep well but you can tell OBVIOUSLY if they did not seal well or preserve and are spoiled.
Watch for a broken seal on your quart or pint jar, sogginess, discoloration, etc.
DISCLAIMER: Do NOT eat any home canned foods that are questionable re: their freshness.
How did Mrs. C.G. do? She was so sweet to let me know how her pickling day went!
Soaking in ice water was a very good idea - but using them fresh from the garden makes the very best.
Mrs. C.G. replies:
" Thanks for all your help. We made 70 quarts of pickles yesterday! I'll
let you know how they turned out! I think part of my problem is that they
don't get done right away. I don't have a garden (praying for a house in
the country)so we buy bulk from an Amish produce auction. I bought 2 1/2
bushels of pickling cukes on Monday...but couldn't do them until
yesterday. So we will see how it works. I did soak them in ice water
before....so maybe that will help too.
Thanks for again. I love your cookbook. If the recipes keep turning out
as good as your banana bread (my kids kept asking where I bought the bread
from!), I will eventually order another to put away for my teenage
daughter! God bless.
Add A Comment
Our cucumbers were horrible this year. They turned white and were very bitter. Now since the weather has cooled off, we have one vine we saved and the cucumbers look like they are supposed to. Maybe I will be able to make some pickles trying your recipe this year. I made some a year ago but they were okay but a little soggy. Thanks for being such an inspiration.