Topic: Quick question about pickling shallots......

[kippers garden]

My shallots are not quite ready yet ie still green....but they are a decent size....my family are desperate for pickled onions as they love them.  Do I have to wait for the shallots to completely die down or can i pull a few to make an early jar of pickles (i'm worried they won't be as crunchy if i don't wait?

Thanks for any replies

[zigzig]

The method for pickling onions or shallots is the same

Cover with salt over night, rinse off the salt and the excess water. (the salt takes out the moisture from the bulbs and the vinegar takes it'splace

Dry them then add your vinegar mix.

For soft pickles use hot vinegar mix

For crunchy pickles, use a cold mix.

There are rules about keeping everything clean and sterile during the process but the key is.. heat cooks the bulbs and makes them soft.

Keeping everything cold will make for a crunchy pickle

|I think that is what you want to know so go ahead.

The vinegar takes about 5 weeks to seep  into the bulbs so that they are true pickles.

After that they will keep for ages. (it they are allowed to)..... :o

[valmarg]

As zigzig dry brines the onions, we wet brine, which entails leaving the peeled onions/shallots in a mixture of 2oz salt to one pint of water to one pound of onions overnight (making sure the salt is dissolved).

Next day rinse, dry and pack in jars.  You can then add just plain malt vinegar or a mixture of spiced and malt.  If you prefer a slightly sweeter pickle you can add part sherry vinegar.

We make our pickled onions in September/October to be ready for Christmas.  They do take time to mature.

I think you need to be patient.  By all means pull a few, peel them and pickle them, but they are not going to be ready to eat next week.  Probably not even next month.  Oh, and when you peel them, wear goggles, because they will be sooo strong.  Eye wateringly so. ;D ;D

As I say, try to be patient.  Leave them in the ground to mature.  They will be much better for it.

Enjoy them at Christmas.

valmarg