Pickle questions

[sissy]

Hi all, :)
Hope someone can help. :help:
I have only made pickles once, long time ago when I first started canning. They were soft & mushy, so no one wanted to eat them.(thrown out). Anyway time to try again this year. I've soaked cuks in lime water following instructions. Will start the rinse cycles soon. Question is can I use a dill mix to can them? I've only seen recipes using lime with sweet pickle recipes. Which we don't care for. Also I want to make a dill relish with this mix. Does anyone see a problem with this.
Thanks, :)
Sissy

[Anon001]

Hi all, :)
Hope someone can help. :help:
I have only made pickles once, long time ago when I first started canning. They were soft & mushy, so no one wanted to eat them.(thrown out). Anyway time to try again this year. I've soaked cuks in lime water following instructions. Will start the rinse cycles soon. Question is can I use a dill mix to can them? I've only seen recipes using lime with sweet pickle recipes. Which we don't care for. Also I want to make a dill relish with this mix. Does anyone see a problem with this.
Thanks, :)
Sissy
Sissy,
I know you can use the pickling lime with any type sliced pickles. But I don't know if it works very well with whole cukes.

Yes, you can use a dill mix.

When you say you want to make a dill relish,.... what type of "relish"? A regular relish, a chutney, or my favorite - chow-chow? Some types of relishes and such use cukes and some use green tomatoes such as in chow-chow.

You can find plenty recipes for relishes if you will google them. But, if you're making just a regular dill relish, I would think they would work just fine.

I'm sure others with more knowledge will chime in. The most I do is bread-and-butter pickles from an old family recipe that is over 100 years old. I also make chow-chow which is a relish made from green tomatoes.

Good luck.,

[Mom5farmboys]

The only pickling I do is pickle relish. But my aunt (who has canned for over 50 years) swears by stuffing a grape leaf into the bottom of her canning jar before she puts the pickles in. She always makes awesome, crisp pickles too. Although I have never tried it-I thought I would pass the "secret" along.

[NCLee]

I don't do many pickles, so I did a search. Finally found a recipe that uses lime and dill. So, IMHO, this indicates that you can make dill pickles.

Take a look, to see if this helps.
http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1936,146162-236192,00.html

BTW, while doing this search, I ran across using grape leaves instead of lime for crisp pickles.

Lee

[sissy]

Thanks for all the replies & help.
What I would like to do is cube the cumbers & add very small amount of sweet red peppers, maybe 1/2 to 1 cup to the whole batch. And to use mrs.wages dill pickle mix with 3 1/3 cups white vinegar & 7 1/3 cups water. It says to boil mix & pour over cukes in jars. Then process in boiling water bath pints 5 min. do you think that is enough time for raw cukes & the small amount of red peppers? Or should I just use one of the recipes from ball book? (not exactly what I'm looking for).
Thanks again for your help.
Sissy

[NCLee]

Sissy, look for a recipe in the Ball book that's similar to yours in ingredients. Then process according to that recipe. If the acid portion of your recipe isn't adequate, water bath canning with an estimated time may not be safe to eat.

Wish I could be of more help, but I've only done pickles a few times. In each case I worked from a specific recipe and used the processing instructions that were included.

Lee

[Anon001]

Thanks for all the replies & help.
What I would like to do is cube the cumbers & add very small amount of sweet red peppers, maybe 1/2 to 1 cup to the whole batch. And to use mrs.wages dill pickle mix with 3 1/3 cups white vinegar & 7 1/3 cups water. It says to boil mix & pour over cukes in jars. Then process in boiling water bath pints 5 min. do you think that is enough time for raw cukes & the small amount of red peppers? Or should I just use one of the recipes from ball book? (not exactly what I'm looking for).
Thanks again for your help.
Sissy
Sissy,

I sort of agree with Lee. I would use the Ball book to get the processing times. But even if you don't find one with the same ingredients, find one with the same ratio of vinegar to water. That is the key to whether you can use just a hot water bath or whether you need to pressure can. However, if the pickle mix is new, I would definitely not be afraid to go by it provided it gives a lengthy shelf life. If it gives a short shelf life, then you know you will need to pressure can.

[sbemt456]

Sissy that is the way I make dill pickles every year. Soak them in the lime water, rinse and proceed with the instructions on the pickle mix. Works great for me. Only other tip I can give you is when you do the water bath processing, make sure the water is boiling when you add the jars and time accurately and remove in the order they were put in the boiling water bath or you may have a jar or 2 that will over process and be soft.
The trick to pickles is to never ever let them boil in the liquid.

Good luck and have a great day!

stella

[sissy]

Thanks everyone,
Sorry for popping back & forth so much today, doing lots of different things in kitchen today. (dehydrating, canning, cooking, soaking pickles, ect.) Man it is hot today! Ok! The mix is new & for dill pickles. (mrs wages has all kinds of pickle mixes at wal-mart) The mix says if need more liquid use 2 to 1 ratio, the closest ratio in ball book which is 2 to 1, (2 water 1 vinegar) is Dixie relish which says to cook veggies 20 min. & then process 15 min in hot water bath. Sounds like it may get mushy. (don't know) Oh well better to be safe.
Thanks,
Sissy

[Anon001]

Sissy,
I can tell you that if Stella says something will work, it will.. she knows her stuff... (I think :lol:)

[sissy]

Thanks everyone I finely got them done. :) I finished getting everything cleaned up about 3 this morning. :lazy2: Next time hopefully I will be more prepared & in order. I followed Stella's advice & I left out the sweet peppers to be safe. The second batch will probably be better. The first batch the water stopped boiling when I added the pickles. Had to let it start boiling again then start timing. All sealed & in 24 hours I will check a jar to find out how they turned out
Thanks again
Sissy

PS. PaulNKS
Would you want to share your recipe for the next batch. I would like to try it.
Thanks again,
Sissy

[Anon001]

I'd be glad to but it burned in a fire and I haven't had to use it again. I will be in Texas at my mother's visiting. I'll copy it down again. I'll be needing it again as well. It will be sometime next week. Send me a PM if I forget to do it by about Wednesday. lol

All my old recipes came from my mother by way of her grandmother who died in 1944 at age 90. So, they are all good and old recipes. I am going to be getting them all again. I will gladly share them. Last year, I had enough pickles left from the year before, but this year, I have to put up more .

[sissy]

Thanks PaulNKS
Sorry about the fire, ether read about it here or your site don't remember. Thankfully you can replace them all. Have a great trip.
Sissy

[GoodDaughter]

The only pickles I like are sweet pickles, which I make often. I can't address other methods, but grape leaves really do seem to help keep pickles crisp. No special variety grape seems to matter-- I have used plain old wild grape leaves and they work fine. Use young leaves, washed well.

[sissy]

GoodDaughter,
I don't have any grape leaves yet. (no grapes) Is there anywhere to get them? Do they have to be fresh or will dried ones work? Thanks for the info. I would like to try this.
Thanks
Sissy

[NCLee]

Sissy, what area of the country are you in?

Here in the southeast wild grape vines are often found around the edges of forests. Lots of folks have a few cultivated vines in their yards and gardens. Over the last 10 years or so a number of vineyards have popped up, as tobacco farmers are converting to other agricultural products. Any of those could be a source for a few hand fulls of grape leaves.

Lee

[sissy]

Thanks NCLee,
Duh!!! I was not thinking. Just thinking herbs & spices.
Back when my inlaws had this place they had one (long gone now). And we may have a wild one on our homestead if the old huge pine tree that fell didn't kill it. I'll have to check the next time we're there. We use to have a lot when we first moved to our homestead, but cleared all the stick trees & underbrush for fields & pastures.
Thanks again
Sissy

Sorry we're in the southeast also

[sissy]

Thanks everyone for all the info.
The pickles turned out crisp & very good (almost finished a pint off last night at supper).:D I made 3 styles of dill (sliced, spears, & chips.) The second batch was crispier, I got the water bath time perfect.
Thanks sbemt456 (Stella) for the hint on the water bath. I think that made all the difference. :yes2:
I would like to know more about using the grape leaves though.:confused: Can you dry them & use later or do they need to be fresh? Does any one know? It doesn't hurt to, know more than one way to do things.
Thanks again everyone for your help,:)
Sissy

[NCLee]

I haven't used grape leaves, so I thought I'd learn more about them, too.

BTW, this is a good link for other info on pickles, too.
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/questions/FAQ_pickle.html

Lots of recipes here. Found it using the search term grape leaves pickle http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,grape_leaf_pickle,FF.html

Found this recipe for preserving grape leaves. I want to try this, as we have a bunch of wild grape vines outback with huge leaves. http://www.fatfree.com/recipes/condiments/preserved-grape-leaves Here's another one. Scroll down the page until you get to preserving grape leaves. http://www.honeyflowfarm.com/newsletters/2005/summer/summervineyard.htm

This one has instructions on freezing grape leaves along with a recipe for stuffed leaves. http://whatscookingamerica.net/Vegetables/StuffedGrapeLeaves.htm

So far I haven't found anything on drying them for pickle use. Suspect it isn't done because grape leaves are in season the same time that cucumbers are in season for pickling.

If I turn up anything different, I'll post. Plan to research this further. Including freezing some as noted above.

Hope this helps, a bit.
Lee

[sissy]

Thanks NCLee,
I'll check the links out.
Sissy

[Anon001]

Sissy,
Here's the pickle recipe that you asked for. It is a really good recipe. I only use sliced cucumbers for it.

Soak the following for 24 hours:
7 lb cucumbers
2 gallons water
2 cups lime


Rinse. Let set 3 hours draining.


Mix the following:
2 qts vinegar
4 ½ lbs sugar
1 T salt
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp cloves
Pour over cucumbers.
Let set 12 hours.


Bring to boil and simmer slowly for 40 minutes.


Pack in hot jars and seal.



(No pressure or hot water bath needed.


I hope you enjoy it. I know this recipe is at least 100 years old. It came from my great-grandmother that died in her 90's in 1944.

[sissy]

Hi PaulNKS,
Thanks for the recipe I'll try it this weekend. I'm picking cukes tomorrow & putting them to soak in lime. A couple of questions, (well 3.) :confused: Do you slice the cukes first or soak whole? Do you leave the cukes in to simmer? And do they need to be keep in the fridge? Sorry canning pickles is so new to me.:wacko: Thanks for all of your help.
Hope your mom is well & that you had a nice visit. :) (I miss mine a lot, we were best friends as well as mother & daughter.)
Thanks again for all your help,
Sissy

[Anon001]

Sissy,
I apologize for not replying sooner. I have been on vacation.

Hi PaulNKS,
Thanks for the recipe I'll try it this weekend. I'm picking cukes tomorrow & putting them to soak in lime. A couple of questions, (well 3.) :confused: Do you slice the cukes first or soak whole?
Slice the cukes first.
Do you leave the cukes in to simmer? And do they need to be keep in the fridge? Yes, leave the cukes in to simmer. Properly canned (preserved) pickles never have to be refrigerated until you open a jar to use. Then the rest of it should be refrigerated but may not have to be.
Sorry canning pickles is so new to me.:wacko: Thanks for all of your help.Glad to do it. You have to start somewhere some things I was raised with, I take for granted and forget that even some basics have to be learned sometime along the way.

You're family will love these pickles. I use them and my jellies as Christmas gifts for friends and family.

Hope your mom is well & that you had a nice visit. :) (I miss mine a lot, we were best friends as well as mother & daughter.)
Thanks again for all your help,
SissyThank you!
I am still having a nice visit. I will fly back home Thursday (tomorrow).

Good luck. Let me know how you like the pickles.

[sissy]

Thanks PaulNKS,

Quote: I apologize for not replying sooner. I have been on vacation.

No problem, made that batch with a packet. :)Turned out good.
I have cukes soaking now (sliced). I will process tomorrow evening after work & supper.

Quote: You're family will love these pickles. I use them and my jellies as Christmas gifts for friends and family.

My family & friends got jelly last year. They always get homemade gifts from me every year. The family is getting so big with nieces & nephews having kids. That I have threaten to quit making things, but old habits are hard to break. (30 + years) Plus they really enjoy the gifts so much. (Should have planted more cuks, o well next year.):D

Quote: Good luck. Let me know how you like the pickles.

Thanks, I will :yes2:
And thanks again for the recipe & all the help. Can hardly wait to taste them.
Sissy

[Anon001]

*as he waits with anticipation*

How are they coming along?

[sissy]

Quote: *as he waits with anticipation*
How are they coming along?

They were great!!! Been nibbling on them today. :D DH says they are like candy, they are so good. He also said I would have no problem with getting rid of them. Hubby was telling a friend of his about the recipe & he wants a copy. Hubby has already promised a couple people at our shop a jar. So it looks like the rest of the cukes coming in will be made this way.:yes4: He just said that I could plant a few more plants. Now does that say anything.:D
Do you mind if I share your recipe?
Thank you we love them.
Sissy

[Anon001]

Quote: *as he waits with anticipation*
How are they coming along?

They were great!!! Been nibbling on them today. :D DH says they are like candy, they are so good. He also said I would have no problem with getting rid of them. Hubby was telling a friend of his about the recipe & he wants a copy. Hubby has already promised a couple people at our shop a jar. So it looks like the rest of the cukes coming in will be made this way.:yes4: He just said that I could plant a few more plants. Now does that say anything.:D
Do you mind if I share your recipe?
Thank you we love them.
Sissy


:lol: Don't give away all your secrets! LOL Save some for barter. My SIL always goes to Mexico and gets her vanilla there. She will not use any other type. So, once in a blue moon, I'll trade her two jars of the pickles for a jar of Mexican vanilla. I usually give a jar of my pickles, a jar of wild sand plum jelly, a jar of chow-chow, and a couple other things depending on the individual, as gifts. They are always well received. I usually put up enough to last a couple years or longer. I pulled out a jar of those pickles recently that was "lost" and it was dated 1997. They were as good as the day they were sealed... and they were still sealed.

I'm glad y'all like them. It is an old old recipe. It came from my great-grandmother that died in her 90's in the 1940's. So, that tells you how old it could be.

Depending on your location, you could still plant more cuke seeds and get a lot more cukes this summer and fall. The only type of cuke I have ever planted is the old Straight 8, always dependable and make great sliced pickles.

later,
Paul

[sissy]

PaulNKS,
Do some of your cuk's break into pieces while soaking in lime? Mine are brittle. The first batch were & this batch is. I thought maybe I didn't follow directions close enough last time. So this time I tried to do it just right. Maybe I shouldn't stir while soaking.
Thanks
Sissy

[Anon001]

Sissy,

Mine never get really brittle but they do get and stay crisp. Once I put them to soak, I normally don't stir. But, if the few on top look as though they aren't down in the lime solution, I'll just gently push them down with one of my wooden spoons.

Honestly, I think it's probably hard to mess up this pickle recipe. lol.... I'm sure you did just fine.

Paul

P. S. Aren't they good though? MMMM... I can pig out on 'em. lol

[sissy]

Thanks PaulNKS,
I stirred them to much , some may be broke apart but they ARE MMMM GOOD. My SIL tried some that were left in the pot tonight & loves them. I took some of the juice & made some pickle beets for supper also very good. Hubby can about eat a pint of them pickles at a setting. I canned 10 pints today. Looks like I'll do some more in a day or so.
Thanks again so much. They are a hit. As my hubby says a home run.:dance3:

[Anon001]

Thanks again so much.

You're welcome. I'm glad someone can enjoy it besides me. It seems that people don't enjoy homemade pickles like they used to.

They are a hit. As my hubby says a home run.:dance3:It looks like 10 pints may not have been enough! :yes4:

I can everything in quarts rather than pints even though I'm alone. The reason? It takes half as many lids and rings for the same amount of food and less canning time.

[bookwormom]

that is a really good point Paul. glad you pointed it out. It never happens to you that you open a jar and it does not all get eaten? I really could stand .75 size jars, if there were such a thing. sometimes a pint is not enough and a quart is too much.

Here is a very simple recipe we like.
simple, fast and easy. It is an amish recipe.

I call it "Sweet enough dill pickles". It really is a recipe for sweet dills, but that is just too sweet for me, so I cut the amount of sugar in half.

1 quart cider vingar
1 pint water
1/4 cup pickling salt
2 cups sugar

cucumbers, dillheads, onions, peppercorns.

sterilize jars and lids.

slice cucumbers or if small, leave whole. Put a few junks of onion and five peppercorns in the bottom of the jar. I go heavy on the onion because I like them . Fill the hot jars with cucumbers, add a dill head or greens, cover with the boiling brine, fix lids and waterbath to just boiling.

I hired a teenager the other day to dig a ditch for me and I fed him lunch and he said those were the best pickles he ever had. Maybe he has not had much by way of pickles, but I was tickled.

[Anon001]

I bet the kid has never had homemade pickles! LOL.... I know what you mean by having jars that are 3/4 quarts. lol.... But when it comes to my pickles, I don't mind using out of a quart jar in the fridge..... they seem to last forever if they are refrigerated after opening.

[sissy]

PaulNKS, Just wanted to let you know that everyone that has tried the pickles LOVES them. Some of the people have said that they had not tasted any like them since their mother or grandmother had made sweet pickles. Looks like I have a winner with this one. By the way I have not shared the recipe just the pickles. :lol: Since I got the recipe that is the only kind I have canned. Looks like I need more cuks. In some of them I added onion. Do You see a problem with them being safe?
Thanks so much for the recipe & help.
Sissy

[Anon001]

PaulNKS, Just wanted to let you know that everyone that has tried the pickles LOVES them. Some of the people have said that they had not tasted any like them since their mother or grandmother had made sweet pickles.

It looks to me like you have a marketable item! LOL.... Those are the only pickles I ever make. Like I wrote before, that is a very old recipe.

Looks like I have a winner with this one. By the way I have not shared the recipe just the pickles. LOL Since I got the recipe that is the only kind I have canned. Looks like I need more cuks. I never thought of not sharing the recipe, the mystery will keep them begging for more, huh? LOL

In some of them I added onion. Do You see a problem with them being safe? I never thought of adding onion.

Do I see a problem with them being safe? If you mean as far as botulism or something like that, I don't see a problem. They are pickled in vinegar and sealed. Any time that I open a jar of anything, I always make certain first that it didn't lose its seal. If the seal is still good, they will last for years. Just keep opened jars refrigerated.

The jar I'm eating out now, was dated 1998. That's 11 years and they are just as good as the first jar. Somehow this jar didn't get rotated, I guess and ended up behind newer jars. But, they are still good, still crisp.

Thanks so much for the recipe & help.
SissyYou're welcome. But no need to thank me. I'm happy to share them. So many people, even rural people, have never tasted the good, old recipes. So, anytime I can help by sharing something from the past, I do. Besides that, they're too tasty not to share! LOL

[sissy]

You should try the onion in a batch, it is good also. The only person that has asked for the recipe has not even tried the pickles yet. He is a young police officer that grows his own garden. His wife cans. I did not have any at the shop, when hubby told him how good they were. He ask for the recipe then, but I didn't have it with me. When he comes back in I'll give him a sample & the recipe if he wants it. I hope to get another group of cuks before it gets cold. I know that I don't have enough if I don't.
Sissy