First time canning. Question.

[rbeau30]

Pickles came out awesome ! Can't wait for the next batch. We also got some stuff from ball called "pickle crisp ", anybody use it before ? I've read just to lower your salt a bit when using it.

I think it is Calcium Chloride. I'm sure it would add some nutritional value.

What I have been using is a handful of Grape Leaves in each batch of my pickles. Although I do the the old fashioned way, I have read that you can put a couple leaves in each jar to help with keeping them crispy.

[TheGrey]

That's an excellent tip, rbeau30! I've never heard of doing that before.

I've got Pickle Crisp, but I may give grape leaves a shot. Where do you get them?

Does anyone have a spicy pickle recipe they wouldn't mind sharing?

[rbeau30]

I have three grape vines in my backyard. Practically an endless supply in the summer they grow like crazy. However, cherry tree leaves, black tea leaves, oak leaves, or horseradish leaves (horseradish grows really well in Colorado I was told.) work as well.

It has something to do with enzymes and tannin. I don't think there are many actual studies done on them, but this is what was used to keep veggies crisp back n the day during Lacto-Fermentation, and it is what I use. I used a handful (8 to 10 large) of grape leaves in my 5 gallon crock per batch.

I haven't done any recipes yet that does not call for stuff like grape leaves, but perhaps once I get my recipe a little more established and the fermentation times i'll experiment with it a bit more.

Another thing to consider is you need to chop the blossom-end of the cucumbers off of the cukes. I have read everywhere that the blossom end has enzymes that soften pickles. With a quick pickle recipe like above (using vinegar) I am not sure how ling these enzymes would have to attack the cuke and make it soft, but it is worth a try.

[Mercula]

Awesome. Do you soak them in water before you pickle ? Using the vinegar method ?
Also I got the BALL book , and the jar grabber should make things a bit easier.

[rbeau30]

Awesome. Do you soak them in water before you pickle ? Using the vinegar method ?
Also I got the BALL book , and the jar grabber should make things a bit easier.

I have like 3 of those things, they are awesome. I don't want to ever be without one.

Using the vinegar method, I have "washed" off the pickles with a vinegar and water solution just like I do all of my veggies before I can them. Vinegar is a natural disinfectant, and it is food safe.

When I ferment my pickles I just rinse them quickly so all of the dirt and grime from the field is off of them. The lactobacillus buggies are what I want, so I don't want to make my veggies sterile before I start them in the fermenting crock. The salt brine is what keeps the bad stuff at bay, so the good bugs can start doing their thing.

The Ball Blue Book of canning is an excellent resource that I use at all times as well as a document put out by the USDA here: http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/pu...ions_usda.html (Guide #6 has some information on fermented foods and canning them) Ha Ha I had to put my Fermented Food plug in there!