Topic: Gherkins

[Amazin]

I adore dill cukes - like those huge ones from the chip shop. When I didn't get a decent enough harvest last year I ate all the home-grown dill and sulked.

[Jeannine]

                                 Nana Jeannine's Kosher Dills

It is a big recipe so feel free to cut it down

You need 20 pounds of cukes, 8 heads of garlic 1  large bunch of fresh dill.

Cukes should be very fresh, and small. I grow a whole bed of these just for this purpose.

Wash under running water, don't scrub, all of  the small pickling cukes.
 Remove a thin slice of the blossom end of each cuke,this is where there is a bigger concentration of the enzymes that can make the cuke bitter.
Soak overnight in ice cold water, add ice if you have it.

Make the brine,
20 cups water ( each cup holds 250ml)
10 cups of white 5% vinegar
1/4 cups of  picking salt( don't use regular table salt, they go cloudy)

Bring to boil.

Wash the dill , separate the garlic into cloves and peel.

Sterilise the jars and lids,( I only use proper preserving jars that have a snap lid)

In the bottom of each jar put a head of dill and 2 cloves of garlic

Pack the little cukes into the jars and completely cover with the hot brine.

Put on lids and seal.

Do not use for 6 weeks.

I have to point out that this is an old recipe and the modern theory is that they should be sealed in a boiling water bath. This is your choice.

If you do wish to water bath, cover filled,closed hot jars with boiling water, bring to boil ,hold for 10 minutes , remove jars and cool.

If you have access to grape leaves, put a few in the overnight soaking water , it helps crisp the cukes.

I have a lot of different cuke recipes,but this is by far my favourite

XX Jeannine

[jennym]

Jeannine, can you clarify this recipe please? you say:
Make the brine,
20 cups water ( each cup holds 250ml)
10 cups of white 5% vinegar
1/4 cups of  picking salt( don't use regular table salt, they go cloudy)
Bring to boil.
Wash the dill , separate the garlic into cloves and peel.
Sterilise the jars and lids,( I only use proper preserving jars that have a snap lid)
In the bottom of each jar put a head of dill and 2 cloves of garlic
Pack the little cukes into the jars and completely cover with the hot brine.
Are you saying that you are mixing the vinegar and water and salt and putting this over the gherkins? It seems a very dilute mix to use, and seems salty to me too. I haven't tried your recipe, so can't comment on the outcome, but would appreciate clarification or maybe it's a typing error?
Many thanks.

[Jeannine]

It isn't an error, 1 1/4 cups of pickling salt is not so much as the crystals are quite big, if it were regular salt it would be much more salty and there is 20 pounds of cukes in this recipe.

Kosher dills are not as vinegary as other pickles, eg onions would have a much stronger vinegar content. In fact as Kosher dills go this has  quite a strong solution of vinegar, I have recipes that have much less.

They are curing in the jars.

They are very good.

XX Jeannine

[Amazin]

Hi Jeannine, Dopey here - is it a quarter cup or one and a quarter cups of pickling salt?

Is this the recipe that produces those mild but fabulously 'dilly' flavoured pickles (known as 'wallies' in all good chip shops I believe)?

[Jeannine]

1 and  a 1/4 . Yes good description, mild but very dilly, I don't think the chip shop ones have the garlic but  maybe, This a Jewish reipe.

XX Jeannine

[Amazin]

Thank you thank you thank you thank you!

 ;D

[jennym]

Thanks for that Jeannine, but could you explain what you mean by curing?

.... In fact as Kosher dills go this has  quite a strong solution of vinegar, I have recipes that have much less.
They are curing in the jars...

I know how to test pickles of all sorts when using vinegar for the keeping quality - this one doesn't fit with the rules I know so need to understand how it works.

[Jeannine]

I should perhaps said pickling, curing is more a US word, and they  they shouldn't be eaten for 6 weeks which is how long it takes, The colour will canane and the cdlls take on a more translucent look.With dill pickles you can get long cure, short cure ,they are loads if different ways of going them. I f you go online and tap in Kosher Dill pickles I think you will find lots of sites that give you in depth info.

XX Jeannine

[jennym]

Thanks for that, however I have already searched extensively, that's why I'm asking. It's not so much the individual recipes and methods, yes, there are loads and loads of those!
I can't find anything that explains how these mixes of ingredients preserve the vegetable and how to test that it has reached the correct and safe level of "pickling" or "curing".

[Jeannine]

I  have tried to be very low key with anything to do with preserving lately as I usually get shot down if I say it how I feel personally.LOL

I am very picky about food preservation and follow the USDA guidelines to the letter.

In the recipe above I mentioned sealing in a water bath, I of course do it.

In the case of the dills shown. there is sufficient acid to be safe..BUT.. I would personally  NOT just let the jars self seal.

I also can ( bottle) vegetables, fish and meat and have done so for years BUT I don't take chances, I use only the correct equipment, and never take short cuts.

I use a USDA approved pressure canner with a gauge for veggies, meat etc, and only use a  water bath for jams, jellies, pickles and fruit. I would never seal any of those with self sealing jars alone , or wax etc.

I usually get laughed at for being so picky.

The above recipe is classed as a pickle and is safe in a water bath, without the vinegar it would be a veggie and would need a pressure canner.

Look up... complete Guide to Home Canning

It is the official guide as put out by the US Dept of Agriculture.

It will tell you all about safe practices etc.

I have not found a UK version.

This very in depth publication goes into food spoilage, botulism, suitable jars, canners etc. It also gives time and weights.

It is the definitive manual for home food processing.

Many times I hear of folks who preserve foods in a way contrary to modern theories and I cringe but I have been shot down to many times that I rarely give advice now.

Canning (bottling) is very popular in the US, which is where I was for many years, here in the UK it is not so known and consequently many recipes are too out of date to be safe, you have only to read Delia Smith to know that.

Take  a read on line of the above, you can print it off but it is 1 inch thick.

The bit about dill pickles is in Guide 6. Preparing and canning fermented foods and pickled  vegetables., the recipe similar to above will be found in that chapter among non fermented dills. ie fresh packed.

I think this will answer all your questions.

It is my preserving bible and I keep very up to date. The one you need is the 1995 one which shows the most recent upgrades.


Let me know if I can help further.

OK FOLKS...you can shoot me down now LOL

XX Jeannine

[Suzanne]

Having worked in and around microbiology labs for years - your advice is spot on and not OTT at all.

I was talking with an American colleague recently about hobbies and I told him (bored him more precisely) about my lotties, and he asked why I didn't bottle or can the excess produce. I think as you have found Jeannine - it just hasn't caught on in this country so I never considered it. Making jams, jellies, chutneys and pickles where acid and sugar content keep the bugs from spoiling the food I am happy with, and this seems to be the UK method of choice. But without acid or sugar as a preservative and relying on heat to pastuerise and kill the bugs and then an efficient vacuum seal to keep them out - not so sure.

Jeannine you are right to be ultra cautious - toxins from food poisoning bugs can be lethal.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I have done a little, but it's been very basic - heat the jar up in a pan of boiling water, add the hot mix, whatever it is, put the lid on, and if it forms a vacuum seal assume it's OK. You'll probably shoot me down now! All I can say is that it works, but I doubtless need to update myself.

[jennym]

Thanks for the info, I have some of that USDA guide but not what's relevant to gherkins so shall have to get the printer going.
I have to be on the safe side when it comes to jams, chutneys etc!
There are some pretty straightforward and cheap bits of testing kit for things like sugar content and acidity, and as long as heating and sterilisation procedures are followed, products like jam and chuntney are reasonably simple to get right.
I do get peeved when I read recipes (especially online)that make comments like, "adjust the amount of vinegar to suit your taste" or, "you don't really need to add so much sugar" or "wait until the jam cools to let all the steam escape, then put the lids on". These could end up being quite dangerous practices, and it's all very well people saying that a bit of dirt never did anyone any harm, but the fact if the matter is, that it did, and still does do harm.
Although I make large amounts of preserves daily, to be honest I don't really have the time to preserve vegetables (which would only be for home use), by any other means than freezing or drying and feel that the end result of these methods maintains texture and flavour so well that I'm not really tempted to can/jar/(whatever the term) in any huge volumes. However, a bit of me does feel a little guilty that I don't - because of the aspect of not having to use electricity for food storage.