Question For Coronabarb
 

I have a Question For Coronabarb about the water to vinegar ratio in recipes.
I have found on several (approved) sites that the ratio of water for the recipe for pickled peppers is 5 parts 5% acidity vinegar to one part water.
Is this the least amount you can dilute this or can you go lower for processed shelf stored pickled peppers?

Worth:wait:

Worth, what are the approved sites? I will check some of the recipes on nchfp and ball. I have never heard of an approved ratio of water to vinegar across the board for pickles. I'm thinking (off the top of my head) that the amts might change depending on what you are pickling, density and amts of the fruit/veggies.

Barb these are all University type sites and the ratio was just for peppers.
It seemed like every one of them I looked at was 5 to1.
The Ball site has one for 6 cups 5% to 2 cups of water for hot water bath.
And another one (Ball) for 8 cups white vinegar to 40 cups water this would be a 2 to 1 ratio.
Why I am asking this is I want to pickle peppers in a hot water bath and use as little vinegar as possible and still be safe.

Worth

I alaso found one for pickled okra that has a 1 to 1 ratio and a hot water bath of 10 minutes up to a thousand feet.
This one came from the National Center For Home Food Preservation.
[url]http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=10&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CGkQFjAJ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnchfp.uga.edu%2Fhow%2Fcan_06%2Fpickled_dill_okra.html&ei=F8m9VNm_EYukgwTGn4TgCA&usg=AFQjCNFl2lbbY81v2Tk_5COxm-JyrrXM-g[/url]

Worth

Just got finished with dinner/dishes. I remembered while doing them that my instructor told us...when evaluating pickle recipes, there needs to be more vinegar than water for safety. That was the only parameter. She is the state expert so I do trust her. Let me grab my book and look it up. Don't recall if she was talking about only cukes. Be back in a bit.

Okay, it looks to me that the recipes are dependent on the type of vegetable being pickled. For instance, asparagus and green beans are 1:1, and beets are straight vinegar (people in the NW recently got botulism from improperly canned beets). The recipes should be followed exactly as that is how they are tested to be safe. You really shouldn't reduce the amt of vinegar in a low acid veggie recipe. The Pacific NW extensions publication says not to reduce the amt of vinegar in their recipes (the pickle one is from NCHFP)

There is one at Ball that is 4 cups vinegar to 2 cups water and that is the lowest ratio I found. But it has onions, garlic and wht wine in it besides the vinegar, so don't know if that appeals to you.

[url]http://www.freshpreserving.com/recipes/pickled-peppers[/url]

[I]"beets are straight vinegar (people in the NW recently got botulism from improperly canned beets)"[/I]

Barb - I've been pickling beets for a long time and use a 1-1-1 recipe with cider vinegar-water-sugar ratio. I wonder if the sugar and other spices have anything to do with the ratio? I've had no complaints, only "I love 'em" compliments.

I got the recipe off the internet MANY years ago.