pickles

[bookwormom]

When I packed pickles into jars today I seemed to remember that I read once that they should be put in with the stem end down. Supposedly something to do with the bitterness, which is in the stem end. I fit them in as best as I could, but have any of you heard of this and practice it?

[Shamrock1121]

"Before pickling, wash cucumbers well and remove the blossom end. *The blossom contains enzymes that can cause softening." *That's information I learned from a canning class I took. *Nothing mentioned about which end up/down in the jar.

From: *Kerr Home Canning and Freezing Book

"Remove 1/16 inch from blosssom end (the end opposite the stem). *Blossoms may contain an enzyme which causes softening of pickles. *You may wish to leave a bit of the stem attached."

I don't recall reading anything about which way to pack whole cucumbers in the jar making a difference, only cutting off the blossom end. *The picture on the front of the Kerr book has them every which way, including horizontal.

Modified to add:
Bitter flavor can be caused by using old spices, or packing the spices in with the pickles. The growing season can also affect the cucumbers and you started out with bitter cucumbers to begin with. Another cause of bitter flavor is using a salt substitute, which should NOT be used as a salt substitute in fermented pickles.

-Karen