Really big pickling cucumbers, okay to use?
mochabeans
13 years ago
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Linda_Lou
13 years agoRelated Discussions
Can i make pickles with big slicing cucumbers?
Comments (11)Off season, if I want cukes, I always look for the pickers in stores. You would be surprised at how many people turn up their noses to the picklers, and buy those dark green greasy skinned ones. I used to also by the long English ones, but they are still lacking the character of a pickler cuke. I know someone who peeled the picklers. Thats where most of teh goodness is. Now, they realize what they were missing all this time. I would think a freezer pickle would be mush. Some people don't mind mushy canned items. I prefer the firmness of the vegetables, and will go out of my way to make something that isn't exposed to a lot of heat, as thats the first thing that can cause a jar of mush. Non burpless cukes will not cause burps after they are fermented or pickled in a vinegar brine. I grow maybe 4 differnent types of picklers. They all look similar, but some mature much earlier than others. You can see a 2 inch cuke today, and tomorrow its grown to 4 inches long. Suitable for picking. If you let it go another day, it gets even longer, but also bigger around. Once the 4-5 day occurs, the rest of the cukes on that same plant will slow down and stop growing. While I was in the hospital, my cuke plants all died, and had a few big huge yellow monsters that were just squished under the wheels of my tractor....See MorePickle & Cucumber Question
Comments (3)Kenya, it's perfectly OK to use those English cukes for pickling. In practical canning terms, the only difference between pickling cukes and slicing cukes is that the slicers contain more moisture. So, in theory, they soften up easier. But I've never found that to be true in practice. If you're concerned, a little pickle crisp, used as directed, will help retain the crunch. My favorite kosher style dill pickle: 4 lbs cucumbers 6 tbls pickling salt 6 cps water 3/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional 4 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar 16 garlic cloves, split 16 heads fresh dill. Wash cucumbers and remove a thin slice from blossom end. Leave whole, in chunks, slices, or spears as desired. In a large saucepan combine wagter, vinegar, saltg and red pepper. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, place 2 pieces of garlic and 1 head of dill in each of 8 hot pint jars. Firmly pack cucumbers in jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Place 2 additional pieces of garlic and 1 head of dill on top of cucumbers. Immediately pour hot vinegar mixture over cucumbers, laving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, adjust lids, and process in boiling water bath 10 minutes....See MoreBig Yellow Cukes-- Okay for Using?
Comments (4)Saving seeds? If your cucumbers were an open pollinated variety, the seeds will be the same as the parent. If they were a hybrid variety (usually you'll see F1 or the word hybrid on the seed packet or the plant label), they won't be the same - you don't know what you'll get. Also, cucumbers cross pollinate easily, so if you had a couple of different varieties, again the plants from your saved seeds won't be the same as this year's. Here is a link that might be useful: Saving Cucumber Seed...See MoreGrowng Cucumbers and Making Pickles
Comments (10)Susan, Yes, you have to be careful with pickle recipes that are for refrigerator pickles or microwave pickles. Anyone can post a recipe online and that doesn't mean it is safe or has been tested for safety. Pickles that are not processed via canning can harbor micro-organisms, including the ones that cause Listeriosis, which can be very serious, particularly for pregnant women. In some people, listeriosis can progress to meningitis and even brain abcesses. Most of these micro-organisms that can grow in unprocessed pickles are invisible and don't cause obvious food spoilage, but can make people very ill and can be deadly in some cases, so before using any recipe you find anywhere, make sure it meets all the safety standards. The Listeria mynocytogenes bacteria can grow in pickles in the refrigerator if they were not properly processed/canned. I have seen unsafe recipes printed in national magazines that generally enjoy a fine reputation in recent years. I'll be reading one of those recipes and shaking my head and telling Tim "watch for the retraction/correction in the next issue" and an issue or two later, there it will be. With the resurgence of popularity of canning, a lot of people are not doing due diligence and posting/printing safety-approved recipes. That is very dangerous. One thing that really bothers me is when people say that they will continue using unsafe practices "because I haven't killed anyone yet". That just horrifies me and I equate it will playing Russian roulette with people's lives. Suzie, I learned that one the hard way myself a long time ago. Nowadays, as soon as the canning products start appearing on the aisles, I stock up on everything I think I'll need for the entire season. A couple of years ago when I had the incredible fruit season, I bought enough pectin to last me forever because the stores had it sometimes, and didn't have it other times, so I bought it every time I was in the store. Ultimately, I had quite a few boxes left over. Now I am hoping I'll be able to use it up before it expires this summer! I've linked an article that covers the refrigerator pickle issue pretty well. I hate that they aren't considered safe any longer. When I was a teenager I worked in a restaurant and made refrigerator pickles for it every week. You cannot do that nowadays. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Safety of Unprocessed Pickles/Refrigerator Pickles...See Moredigdirt2
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