Quick Pickles

originally posted by: yeahright
a reply to: Philippines

Excellent! I hope you all like it. Quick pickling is one of those things that lends itself to a near infinite variety of experimentation and choices. You can tweak it constantly to see what works best for you. And it's not a bank breaker so if you end up with a batch that doesn't work, it's not a disaster. I definitely dumped a couple of attempts.

They are VERY tasty. My wife and baby love them, but I want them more sour myself so I will keep experimenting for my taste. Thanks for the initial kickstart!

a reply to: Philippines

No prob, glad you saw some value there. Happy experimenting!

Has anybody tried pickled fennel?

originally posted by: Mousygretchen
Has anybody tried pickled fennel?

Never heard of it, but the OP's recipe should work for it.

I assume using a large fennel bulb for this, correct?

a reply to: Philippines
Yup. I think you can peel it similar to an onion.

a reply to: Mousygretchen

I'm sure it would be fine for that. I'd slice the fennel. That's a big thick bulb and I don't think this quick pickling method would penetrate very far. I wouldn't even use it for whole cucumbers.

originally posted by: yeahright
a reply to: Mousygretchen

I'm sure it would be fine for that. I'd slice the fennel. That's a big thick bulb and I don't think this quick pickling method would penetrate very far. I wouldn't even use it for whole cucumbers.

Agreed. It needs to be cut and the outside layer maybe removed depending on the bulb. You can also bake the thing too

yeahright - I really like the recipe, the best part is getting better with age. It may last 3 days now in the ref, and that's fine. Like most anything good with food, the more time and effort the better.

Here's my recipe.....
1 gal water
1 cup pickling salt...you don't want iodized salt here...and you want it to dissolve easily.
1 cup vinegar....make sure it is "real" vinegar and not the cheap stuff distilled from oil.
Dill...fresh is best.
optional: garlic, hot pepper

I usually use a big bowl....and half the recipe....maybe go light on the salt.

Wash cucumbers of your choice and add to bowl.
Add dill and optional ingredients.

Bring the water to a boil
Add vinegar and salt....stir to dissolve salt.
Pour over cucumbers to cover.
Weigh down with inverted plate and clear rock or something heavy.
Cover with a tea towel and let sit up to two days. [I like them best at between overnight and 1 day.]

Pour off into jars and refrigerate.
Enjoy.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

What's the difference between iodized salt and pickling salt? Besides iodized salt having iodine in it, that is. Is it the chemical makeup, texture, or size?

a reply to: Skid Mark

here's a link to pickling salt...it dissolves easier ...mostly.
www.wisegeek.com...

I usually actually also use kosher salt, as it is more readily available.
I think the reasoning....you don't want extra stuff in there to botch your product.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Oh, I see! It's a finer grain. Thanks.

I use Kosher salt. Regular salt can give an 'off' taste due to the iodine. Personally, I like to thick slice the cucumber into rounds to let the solution penetrate. Then again, I like mine ready to eat a couple of hours after they're refrigerated, and I refrigerate right after I pour the liquid over them.

Just finished a jar off last night. I'll be doing a couple of more tonight. It's a short-ish season.

[ETA]

One other thing. Some people use bottled or filtered (not distilled) water. I use tap, but I like the taste of our water. If you're in an area where the water has a strange taste, it can throw off the end result.

Am I the only one flashing back to the Andy Griffith episode where Aunt Bee made pickles that tasted like kerosene?

a reply to: yeahright
Good point about the water!
Our tap water is pretty good.....not much taste.

YOu should also use the freshest possible produce.
Waiting until the end of the day to go to the farmer's market may get you the best price, but you should remember those cukes have been sitting in the heat and sun for hours and are no longer fresh.
This won't make much difference if you plan on eating the pickles within 2-3 days.....anything longer, you could have issues.

If you're doing actually canning, it makes a HUGE difference.
My parents used to can a lot.
The cukes weren't the freshest....the whole batch spoiled.
They actually started growing their own to control the freshness.

Another good tip for oober crunchy refrigerator pickles is to cover your cukes with ice cubes and put them in the fridge for a few hours.

Icing the cukes helps them to retain their crunchiness better.

Just be sure to cut them up and make your pickles right away while they're still really cold, and never pour your brine into the jars until it's completely cooled right down... a warm-ish brine will soften the cukes.

Adding a bit of alum (found in the spice section of most grocery stores) into your brine also helps your pickles to keep their crunch, just be careful not to add too much because alum has a strong saltiness to it. I usually add 1/4 tsp for every 4 cups of brine.

originally posted by: CranialSponge
never pour your brine into the jars until it's completely cooled right down

An excellent point I neglected to mention.

originally posted by: CranialSponge
Just be sure to cut them up and make your pickles right away while they're still really cold, and never pour your brine into the jars until it's completely cooled right down...

Wait....really??
I've always poured the brine right off the stove onto the cukes.

Yuppers.

Just like how the hot sun softens your cukes, so does a hot water bath.

There's no need to pour the brine in while it's still hot because these are just simply refrigerator pickles that aren't meant for long-term storage, they're only good for up to 6 months in the fridge at best.

If you were canning your pickles in a hot water bath method, then yes, you want your brine boiling hot before you seal the jars in a hot water bath to eliminate sealing in any possible bacterial contaminants that become worse over a long period of time.

But refrigerator pickles are just simply a short-term "flavoured" brine that's kept in the fridge to keep from spoiling too quickly.

So after you've boiled your brine to dissolve the salts, sugars, infused spices, or whatever, just let it cool down completely before pouring into your jars to help hang on to all that crunchy goodness !

a reply to: CranialSponge

Thanks for the tip again...and it makes sense.
Now to find some fresh pickling cukes...as my garden is not cooperating at all....

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

When perusing store or farmer's market, look for anything called 'kirby cucumbers'. It's become sort of a generic for cucumbers to be used for pickling. They're smaller and have small seeds and thin skins.

a reply to: yeahright

Also, a uniform green....by that I mean....where the bumps are....where the spines used to be ...if that area is a darker shade....it could mean the pickles are less than fresh.