CRISP pickled things

[user 22118]

I am having the darnedest time making pickled things crisp. I just did up a couple of test pints (thank god just test) of pepperoncinnis and they came out decent (needed more salt personally) and yet were mushy. I have heard that for pickles, you can do a salt fermentation in order to create a shelf stable product that won't kill you over time. Sure I could make a fridge pickle, but I am looking to can these for later in the year. I have a large pot for water bath and also a pressure cooker, but it isn't the dial type, just a rocker pressure relief.

Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[Yooper]

What about using powdered alum?

 

[user 22118]

I am new to pickling, not so much to canning. What is Alum outside a quick search? What about pickle crisp?

 

[Yooper]

I am new to pickling, not so much to canning. What is Alum outside a quick search? What about pickle crisp?

I dunno. I just always bought "powdered alum". The sole purpose is to keep the pickles crisp. I don't know about other commercial products, sorry!

 

[gratus fermentatio]

You might try not using the pressure cooker. I don't pickle much, but when I do, I just do a quick blanching & into the brine they go. Things like "dilly beans" get pickled raw, same for kraut & they're always crisp & crunchy. You might also try using a salt only (no vinegar) recipe, best kraut I ever had was the amish way of salt fermentation in a crock without refrigeration. Regards, GF.

 

[Edcculus]

Are you trying to make fermented pickles, or refrigerator pickles? If you want firm fermented dill style pickles, Good Eats is always a good place to start...

 

[Gfei]

So are you cooking them before canning? You're not gonna get crisp anything if you cook them. I've only pickled stuff raw with vinegar & various spices.

 

[bigdug]

my wife had someone suggest adding a grape leaf when packing the pickles I thought it was bs but it worked great on her fridge pickles last year we our cukes didn't make enough this year to try it with water bath canning.

 

[user 22118]

I am not cooking before canning. Just raw and into the jar, hot vinegar with spices, seal it up and into the water bath for 10 minutes and then rest on the counter overnight until cooled. It is hit and miss. Sometimes I get sorta crisp stuff and sometimes I get super mush. As I said, I can can the hell out of sauces and jelly and stuff that texture isn't as big of a problem. Pickles are a little bit different though. I even followed the Ball Canning Book directions. Thought it would turn out perfectly and I was wrong.

 

[Beerrific]

If you get the pH low enough you might not even need to can (sterilize) them. You just want to inhibit the botulinum and that will happen at the pH of a fairly standard pickling liquid. You would of course want to sanitize the jars, clean the veggies, and along with the hot pickling liquid that should kill everything else.

This is essentially the whole idea about pickling and fermenting foods and beverages in general. The fermentation (or cheating by adding vinegar) lowers the pH to a level were the realy nasty stuff (stuff that can kill you) can't live.

However, I am not an expert. You would want a secondary confirmation of this.

Edit: Or, try without adding hot vinegar? Just let the 1 and only time it gets hot be when you pressure can it.

 

[user 22118]

You know, that is an interesting idea. I know that the ph is low enough, and the vinegar is hot enough, maybe a little less time could work out. Is there anyone out there that might know the real science behind this? Like Beerrific, I am no expert but it sure does sound like some solid thinking in my book.

 

[jmo88]

There are enzymes on the blossom end of the pickle that cause the pickle to go soft. Removing this end will help. Also, adding a grape leaf to each jar works. Grape leaves contain a substance that stops this enzyme from making your pickles mushy.

 

[MTtoAZ]

My wife uses Ball Pickle Crisp and it does what it is said to do. Sometimes its hard to find in the store but lately I've been seeing every where.

I beleive its calcium chloride or something. Then again I didn't look at the label recently. I know we got ours at Lowes this year. Ace Hardware also sells it. A single thing will last you for years.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003IOEWL8/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Beerrific]

My wife uses Ball Pickle Crisp and it does what it is said to do. Sometimes its hard to find in the store but lately I've been seeing every where.

I beleive its calcium chloride or something. Then again I didn't look at the label recently. I know we got ours at Lowes this year. Ace Hardware also sells it. A single thing will last you for years.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003IOEWL8/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

It is CaCl which is interesting b/c you can get food grade CaCl at any homebrew shop or you might already have it around.

 

[bmckee56]

I do pickles every year and had the same mushy experiences mentioned above. I am using the same recipe for my brine as before, but what I changed was the 10 minute water bath to seal the jars. Sterilization and Sanitation are key to ensuring your pickles stay healthy, so I make certain all jars are in the boiling water for 20 minutes or more prior to filling them.

I also get my brine good and hot. Not boiling but darned close to it. Then I remove a single jar from the boiling water, add my pickles and top up with brine. I wipe the rim of the jar, place a lid on and tighten the ring down only finger tight. I then turn the jars upside down and place them on a heat resistant counter or board. They sit there until cooled completely. I do not touch them again for at least 12 - 24 hours. When I turn them over, they are sealed, the lid is down and the pickles stay crisp.

For storage, I keep the jars in a nice cool place. The refidgerator helps to make them even more crisp (IMHO) but who has the capacity to store large numbers of pickle jars in their refridgerator (beer comes first).

Salute!