The Beginner's Guide to Preserving Food at Home - Janet Chadwick [46]
Pickles
TRADITIONALLY, cooks have used three basic methods to make pickles: fermenting in salt, used most commonly for dill pickles and sauerkraut; fresh-pack, quick-processed pickles, which can turn vegetables into spicy sweet or sour pickles; and relishes, made by chopping or grinding a mixture of vegetables, adding seasonings, vinegar, and sweeteners, and cooking to the desired consistency. Another option is freezer pickles. These are the easiest to make, but if your freezer space is at a premium, you will find the other recipes in this section are quick and easy to make as well.
BASIC INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING PICKLES
Vegetables and fruit. These should be blemish-free, firm, and fresh. Small slender cucumbers and zucchini make the best whole pickles. Medium-size cucumbers or zucchini make good sliced pickles. Larger vegetables that have gone past their prime can be used to make relishes and sauces. Do not use waxed cucumbers; brine cannot penetrate the wax coating. Be sure to remove all blossom ends from the cucumbers; otherwise an enzyme in these blossoms may cause the pickles to soften during fermentation.
Salt. Use pure coarse salt, pickling salt, or kosher salt for quick process pickles and relishes. When fermenting or using a recipe that states the salt is important to the preservation, use only the salt specified. Iodized salt will darken pickles and should not be used.
Vinegar. Use high-quality vinegar of at least 5 percent acidity. (Don’t use homemade vinegars.) Cider vinegar gives pickles a mellow, fruity taste and will produce a darker pickle. While distilled vinegar gives a sharper, more acid taste, it is best to use if you want light-colored pickles. Never reduce the amount of vinegar called for in a recipe. Weakening the vinegar could enable bacteria to grow in the brine. If a less sour taste is desired, add additional sweetener.
Sweeteners. Use either white or brown sugar, or honey. Brown sugar will produce a darker pickle. Honey usually will cloud the brine.
Spices. Use only fresh spices. Old spices may cause the pickles to taste musty. Whole spices are recommended over powdered. The whole spices should be loosely tied in a cheesecloth or small muslin bag and removed from the brine before packing the pickles in jars to prevent discoloration. However, many of the best cooks I know put the spices right into the brine and pack them with the pickles. The flavor of the spice is stronger, and the color is darker but not unpleasantly so.
Firming agents. In the old days, many cooks used alum or grape leaves added to the brine or packed in the jar to produce a crisp pickle. These firming agents aren’t necessary if fresh produce is used and recipes are followed carefully.
pickles and crock
EQUIPMENT
The equipment needed for making pickles is similar to that required for canning. Do not use copper, brass, galvanized, iron, or aluminum pots or utensils. These metals will react with the acids and salt used in pickles, causing color and taste changes.
Here is the list of equipment you will need: sharp paring knives, a scrub brush, large bowls, measuring cups and spoons, a colander, fine sieves, cheesecloth, a cutting board, crocks or large glass jars, a heavy plate, clean jars, a steam or boiling-water-bath canner, a preserving kettle or large roaster, a pan containing screw bands and lids in hot water, a widemouthed funnel, a ladle, large wooden and slotted spoons, a timer, hot pads, towels, a jar lifter, and a nonmetallic spatula for expelling bubbles from jars.
Before you start making pickles, be sure your work area and all equipment are spotlessly clean. Prewash your jars and check them for nicks and cracks.
PROCESSING
The USDA recommends that all pickles be processed in a boiling-water bath for long-term storage. If you feel that processing alters