How do you keep your cukes/Pickles crisp???

[readra21]

This is my first time canning, and I am totally hooked, my wife thinks I'm crazy but we'll see who's crazy this winter eh??

Anyhoo,

I have done 4 different batches of pickles over the past few days.

I followed all the various recipes to the letter and everyone has come up "limp"

Can someone help?

I still have about 45 lbs of cukes left and I would really like to have crisp pickles.

Thanks ya'll!

Don

SW Washington, ultra rightwing conservative gun totin, huntin, fishin, white collared redneck hillbilly. ;0)

[sissy]

Check out Pickle questions a little further down this forum. Has the answers to most of your questions if not all. All my pickles are crisp this year thanks to all the kind tips I got in this thread.
Hope this helps,
Sissy

[Anon001]

You can buy "Pickling Lime" in many grocery stores just for pickles. I only do sweet pickles ...sliced. The slices are soaked in the pickling lime with 2 gallons water and two cups pickling lime for 24 hours. Then I rinse well.... and let them set for 3 hours to drain.

Some people use grape leaves but, I've never tried that.

When I share pickles, besides the great flavor, the second most common comment is how crisp they are.

Good luck.

[bookwormom]

and it helps if you do not fall asleep while having a canner full waterbathing. I have one batch of mushy pickles.

[NCLee]

Yikes!

Yes, that is good advice. Fortunately I haven't done it, yet. But there's always a first time.

Save those pickles to go into salads and such. Folks won't notice while they are enjoying the great flavor of your potato salad. :wink:

Lee

[AlchemyAcres]

Cutting off the blossom end will help ensure crisper pickles.

Why?

The blossom end contains pectinolytic and cellulolytic enzymes that work to break down the pectin and cellulose in cucumbers leading to mushy pickles.

The reason that grape leaves are effective in keeping pickles crisp is because the tannins in grape leaves inhibit the enzymes.

I make mostly fermented whole Dills, I cut about 1/4 inch off the blossom end and, because it's tradition, I add some grape leaves.

Also....

Always use fresh young cucumbers that the enzymes haven't yet started to break down.


~Martin ;)

[readra21]

I am going to try the pickling lime today

just finished processing 250 ears of corn, now in the freezer and will be starting the 30 lbs of peaches when I return from the store


Thanks again

Don

[poisonivie]

I read you have to soak them in ice cold brine water for 2-3 weeks. Skimming off slime daily to help them be crisp.

[NCLee]

Poisonivie, depends on the type pickle being made. My former next door neighbor used to make 14 day pickles. My grandmother used to make them, too. Don't have their recipes, so I looked up one on the net.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4785645_make-day-pickles.html

Lee

[Mom_of_Four]

I make dill and bread-and-butter pickles, and use Pickle Crisp to keep them from getting limp. I also process them JUST 15 mins in a water bath and not a second longer. The salt and vinegar in the jars is a good preservative so there's no need to overcook the pickles. And like AlchemyAcres said, I cut off the blossom end.

I read someplace that Pickle Crisp has been discontinued, but I've got several boxes so I can't say for sure. The main ingredient in Pickle Crisp is calcium chloride, so I'll look for that when my stock is gone.

I've never used Pickling Lime, but it's supposed to work the same way.

[Anon001]

I've always used Pickling Lime. You can buy it in the canning section at WalMart or just about any grocery store.

[momma_to_seven_chi]

I thought the alum in pickles kept them crisp. I use it whether a recipe calls for it or not.

[CanNerd]

Alum is a poison and so is Pickling Lime, which is one thing if you know what you are doing and prefer to be outdated in what you do, but something else when you don't have the experience, which is one of the reasons why both are no longer really recommended by the experts.

[NCLee]

I did some searching, since I didn't know if the current recommendations had changed. I knew that Alum hasn't been recommended for awhile, since the concern about aluminum arose. However, there appears there is some controversy with regards to pickling lime. From what I can gather, at this point, there are two concerns. Namely, properly using the correct lime product. Below are the links I checked and quotes from some of them.

Personal Opinion: I haven't used alum for several years. However, I plan to continue to use pickling lime, according to the directions, to make pickles, unless there's something more than improper use to be considered.

Lee

Firming Agents
Alum does not improve the firmness of fresh-pack pickles. The calcium in lime does improve pickle firmness. Food-grade lime may be used as a limewater solution for soaking fresh cucumbers 12 to 24 hours before pickling them. However, excess lime neutralizes or removes acidity and so must be washed out to make safe pickles. Drain the limewater solution, rinse and then re-soak the cucumbers in fresh water for 1 hour. Repeat the rinsing and soaking steps two more times. THE LIME TREATMENT IS RECOMMENDED FOR USDA METHODS ONLY. http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/nutrition/DJ1090.html

But firming agents such as lime or alum are no longer recommended in pickle processing. Pickling lime, if not used properly, can make pickles unsafe to consume. Pickling lime can only be used as an initial soak for fresh cucumbers, and excess lime must be thoroughly removed by rinsing. Alum is no longer recommended because the aluminum in this product may be unsafe to consume. http://www.foodsafety.wisc.edu/consumer/fact_sheets/Pickles.pdf

Vegetable Pickles - http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/pnw/pnw355.pdf

USDA - Preparing and Canning Fermented and Pickled Foods
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_06/prep_foods.html

Search at Ball's Freshpreserving.com
http://www.freshpreserving.com/pages/fresh_preserving_glossary/41.php
alum.
An ingredient used in older pickling recipes to add crispness and firmness to pickles. Alum, if consumed in large doses, may cause nausea and/or gastrointestinal problems and is no longer recommended for use in pickling recipes. If used, it must be thoroughly rinsed away. The chemical name is potassium aluminum sulfate.

pickling lime (calcium hydroxide).
A white, almost insoluble powder, also known as slaked lime, used in some older pickling recipes to add crispness to pickles. Due to its caustic nature, pickling lime is no longer recommended for making homemade pickles. Failure to remove lime adequately may increase the risk of botulism. Lime can also cause gastrointestinal problems if too much is ingested.

Mrs Wages FAQ http://www.mrswages.com/Page/FAQ.aspx
21. Explain the chemical reaction with Pickling Lime.
The Pickling Lime has calcium oxide, which is absorbed into the tissue of the cucumber. The calcium oxide then combines with pectin to make/form calcium pectate, which makes the final product firm.

27. Is shake lime the same as pickling lime?
No

[Anon001]

Alum is a poison and so is Pickling Lime, which is one thing if you know what you are doing and prefer to be outdated in what you do, but something else when you don't have the experience, which is one of the reasons why both are no longer really recommended by the experts.

Pickling Lime is still labeled and sold for making pickles. If there was too much concern, the forces that be, would not allow it to be labeled for pickles. But,... the canning "professionals" also no longer recommend many recipes for canning that are "tried and true".

All one has to do is make certain the cucumbers are well rinsed prior to canning, no matter what product you use.... The important thing is to read and always follow directions with everything you prepare and preserve.