keeping pickled cukes crisp

[kmamma]

I read here long ago that there's something you can add to the brine to keep those cukes from turning mushy. Was it oak leaf? Maybe something else?

Josefina.

[TopazBlueMama]

Oh man! I swear I just read something like that this week in one of my books, I think. I can't think of what it is! I know it was something that I'd most likely never regularly have.
If no one knows I'll try to find it again soon!

[AnnC]

Originally Posted by kmamma

I read here long ago that there's something you can add to the brine to keep those cukes from turning mushy. Was it oak leaf? Maybe something else?

Josefina.

Grape leaf. I always put one in my pickles, according to my mom's recipe. You can find them in jars in the pickle/olive section at the store. I even found an organic version at the natural foods store.

Ann

[kmamma]

Thank you! I knew there was something else, and I suspected grape leaf. Glad it's something easily available.

[Fermentula]

I used oak leaves in my cukes last year and they are still crisp.

-Marc

[lauraess]

working on them tomorrow!.... do you ladies also use the NT recipe that uses whey?

[kdmama33]

I use grape leaves, and I use the recipe from Wild Fermentation. It doesn't use whey, just salt. I prefer it. (Actually, I prefer a lot of the WF recipes over the NT recipes when it comes to lacto-fermentation.)

[lauraess]

Thanks! I dont have that book WF, but does it also use vinegar?

[kdmama33]

No, it doesn't use any vinegar. I can post the recipe, if you want it. Just let me know.

[Mountain Chick]

Is it fresh grape leaves? We have wild grape vines growing around here, so could I just go pick some leaves, clean them & put them in my ferment?

[RAF]

I use freshly grown grape leaves in my pickles. I just grab some off the vine and rinse them and put them in the bottom of the pickle jar. I also use the recipe from Wild Fermentation, the one with only salt. I also find that if I soak the pickles in ice water for an hour or two before brining them, they stay crisp longer too.