more pickles

[campbellsoup]

Thanks for your advice! I served my pickles last night at my daughter's birthday party and they were a hit! So I want to make more.

Can you cut the cucumbers into spears or into slices? Will they turn out the same?

How about a sweeter bread and butter type pickle? Can you ferment that too or is that just a canned variety?

[tanyalynn]

I always make slices because they ferment faster and because I haven't figured out how to make whole pickles crunchy. No one noticed if a slice is floppy because, well, it's a slice.

They will ferment quite a bit faster, at least from my reading, so taste-test earlier.

I've never seen a sweet type of fermented pickle.

[JElaineB]

Eat Fat, Lose Fat has a recipe for fermented bread and butter pickles that is really good. You can find the recipe posted in this thread: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=956795. We have used sliced pickles for this recipe, they have lasted over 14 months in the fridge for us.

[velcromom]

I second the recommendation for the EFLF bread & butter pickle recipe, it's very yummy. I like to use quite a bit less onion though.

I think it's really hard to get a supermarket cucumber to turn into a crunchy pickle. The best I've tried are the mini-cukes from Costco. I keep trying to grow pickling cukes with no luck.

One thing I tried last batch with good results was to soak the cukes in ice cold water for a couple hours before placing them into the brine. I think this is my crunchiest batch yet. Also using strawberry leaves to help keep them crisp.

I have tried whole, slices and spears, and my favorite for quicker fermenting and better crispness is the spears. If I have to use supermarket cukes, I will scrape out the very middle because it goes soft so easily while fermenting.

[campbellsoup]

Checked out the recipe. Looks good. Simple enough. Except....

I am a total newbie. I haven't the slightest how to make whey. Do you need raw milk for this? I cannot find RM in my area. Anyone have a link?

The poster in the link said she was allergic to dairy and was going to try the recipe with salt. I don't know how she converted the whey to salt. I know it couldn't be the same amount because the recipe called for 1/3 cup whey. Even I know 1/3 cup salt would be bad! I was hoping she would explain what she did and how it turned out.

I have lots of cukes ready to be picked so I think I will start a batch of dill spears now that I know I can go that route. I used grape leaves for crunchiness last time.... I hope they work as well with the spears!

[JElaineB]

Originally Posted by campbellsoup

Checked out the recipe. Looks good. Simple enough. Except....

I am a total newbie. I haven't the slightest how to make whey. Do you need raw milk for this? I cannot find RM in my area. Anyone have a link?

The poster in the link said she was allergic to dairy and was going to try the recipe with salt. I don't know how she converted the whey to salt. I know it couldn't be the same amount because the recipe called for 1/3 cup whey. Even I know 1/3 cup salt would be bad! I was hoping she would explain what she did and how it turned out.

I have lots of cukes ready to be picked so I think I will start a batch of dill spears now that I know I can go that route. I used grape leaves for crunchiness last time.... I hope they work as well with the spears!

You can make whey easily by draining plain yogurt, preferably one without thickeners (gelatin, pectin, etc.) I have a special yogurt strainer but you can use coffee filters or fine mesh cheese cloth. Put the yogurt - a couple of cups - in the strainer (use a funnel if needed to keep it in place), put it over a bowl or jar to catch the whey. Leave it in the fridge overnight. The whey itself lasts for months in the frigde and the thickened yougurt "cheese" you get is pretty good too.

[campbellsoup]

We usually get Yoplait. I will check for the thickners. I can do this.

I did end up checking in Sally Fallon's book.... I realized I could probably find instructions. I am glad you responded, JElaineB, I feel more comfortable keeping this experiment in the fridge. On the counter top seemed..... scary. Also, it just helps to hear from someone ....real. I know Sally exists but ....

How much whey will I get from a couple cups? Will I get the desired 1/3 cup for my recipe?

Off to the store...

[JElaineB]

Originally Posted by campbellsoup

We usually get Yoplait. I will check for the thickners. I can do this.

I did end up checking in Sally Fallon's book.... I realized I could probably find instructions. I am glad you responded, JElaineB, I feel more comfortable keeping this experiment in the fridge. On the counter top seemed..... scary. Also, it just helps to hear from someone ....real. I know Sally exists but ....

How much whey will I get from a couple cups? Will I get the desired 1/3 cup for my recipe?

Off to the store...

Don't know if you've already started making the whey, but a couple of cups yogurt will probably be enough, but to be safe use 3-4 cups, especially if you are using Yoplait which I believe does have thickeners. You can split it into a couple of batches if you need to. I never realized Sally Fallon says to make it on the counter (never made it all the way through NT....) I have no problems leaving all sorts of things on the counter as needed, but in this case since the yogurt is already made I don't really see the point. I have never had a problem making it in the fridge.

[campbellsoup]

Off the top of anyone's head - a brand of yogurt to look for without thickners etc?

I can't wait to try the recipe for bread and butter pickles. Hope it goes better than the pickle spear batch.

On day 3 I took out a pickle spear from my crock.... not good. I thought things were going well. Saw lots of barm(? the frothy stuff) The pickle tasted alright but had an unappetizing dark gray coloring. Also was mushy on the inside edge of the spear. I did the same thing I did with my baby cukes, but had a larger crock with a proper board. I sampled on day three because folks said they would ferment quicker than whole pickles. What went wrong?? Did they ferment too long?? It seems funny they would have been ready before then. Any insight?

[greenmulberry]

Originally Posted by campbellsoup

Off the top of anyone's head - a brand of yogurt to look for without thickners etc?

I eat "cultural revolution" yogurt with is just milk, cream and enzymes. No thickeners. Not sure if it is available everywhere.

[JElaineB]

Originally Posted by campbellsoup

Off the top of anyone's head - a brand of yogurt to look for without thickners etc?

Originally Posted by greenmulberry

I eat "cultural revolution" yogurt with is just milk, cream and enzymes. No thickeners. Not sure if it is available everywhere.

That's the brand I get too. If you can't find yogurt without thickeners it will still work, so don't worry about it too much.

[simplehome]

Originally Posted by campbellsoup

The pickle tasted alright but had an unappetizing dark gray coloring. Also was mushy on the inside edge of the spear.

Did your recipe use salt? The one time I got pickles like this (the first time I made them) I didn't use pickling salt---a salt with no additives. If you use iodized salt, you will get a pickle that looks grey and is mushy.

[campbellsoup]

I did pick up a different brand.... ran out of my last bottle of sea salt. This was Morton's non iodized sea salt. The ingredients listed are salt and yellow prussiate (anticaking agent). Maybe this was the problem?

I will just get some pickling salt before my next batch.

[CherryBomb]

Originally Posted by simplehome

Did your recipe use salt? The one time I got pickles like this (the first time I made them) I didn't use pickling salt---a salt with no additives. If you use iodized salt, you will get a pickle that looks grey and is mushy.

Ahhh! I had a bit of that problem, too. I used ancient unrefined sea salt, but it does contain natural iodide.

[simplehome]

Yup---both "anti-caking agents" and any form of iodine will do this. It needs to be nothing but salt. Your next try should come out beautifully, once you get a pure salt!

[campbellsoup]

I am so glad I know now.... I thought if I got "sea salt" I was in the clear!

Picked up a box of pickling salt tonight. Can't wait to try some more pickles!

[campbellsoup]

Oh.... also... the whey went great! The coffee filter idea was genius!

[campbellsoup]

The bread and butter pickles turned out great!!! I highly recommend them. I am going to make another batch!

[JElaineB]

Originally Posted by campbellsoup

The bread and butter pickles turned out great!!! I highly recommend them. I am going to make another batch!

Glad they worked out for you. DH and DS really like them. I am more of a kosher dill type gal myself.

[BeagleMommy]

Slightly OT, but does anyone know if you can make the bread and butter pickles without any sweetener? That's the way my great-grandmother used to make them, but we don't have the recipe, since she kept all her recipes in her head.
I think my mom would be thrilled if I could make an un-sweet bread and butter pickle!