Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post

linuxmoose · June 9, 2015

I've been making excellent dill pickles for years with a recipe that was passed down for ages, but it doesn't call for processing in a water bath canner, so I know that it technically is not considered safe by modern standards. Without processing, the pickles are very crisp. The recipe makes them in quart jars, so I looked through some pickling recipes, and noted that most of them call for processing quarts of pickles for 15 minutes in a water bath. I made my recipe exactly as before, but processed them for 15 minutes. I got what I feared would happen - mushy pickles. The recipe is posted below. Can any people who successfully make pickles look over it, suggest anything I could be doing wrong, or suggest a similar recipe that would be safe. Or...should I just keep making them the way I have been (fill the packed jars with boiling brine and seal, and hope I don't get poisoned

).

Recipe:
Pack washed pickling cucumbers into quart jars.
Add to each jar 2 pods of hot pepper, 4 pods of garlic, and 1 teaspoon dill seed.
Mix 1 quart vinegar, 2 quarts water, 3/4 cup pickling salt, and one tablespoon alum and bring to a boil.
Pour boiling brine mixture into jars, seal, and don't open for two months.
Makes approximately 5 quarts

I'm using small and firm pickling cucumbers, but when I process this for 15 minutes, I get mushy pickles. Should I:
1. Shorten processing time
2. Make some change to the recipe
3. Just do it the way I always have, and hope no one gets poisoned

Is 2 to 1 water to vinegar acidic enough to be safe?

Help!
Thanks.
Allen B.

June 9, 2015	#146
linuxmoose Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Northport, Alabama Posts: 25	Frustrated with my pickles. Help! I've been making excellent dill pickles for years with a recipe that was passed down for ages, but it doesn't call for processing in a water bath canner, so I know that it technically is not considered safe by modern standards. Without processing, the pickles are very crisp. The recipe makes them in quart jars, so I looked through some pickling recipes, and noted that most of them call for processing quarts of pickles for 15 minutes in a water bath. I made my recipe exactly as before, but processed them for 15 minutes. I got what I feared would happen - mushy pickles. The recipe is posted below. Can any people who successfully make pickles look over it, suggest anything I could be doing wrong, or suggest a similar recipe that would be safe. Or...should I just keep making them the way I have been (fill the packed jars with boiling brine and seal, and hope I don't get poisoned ). Recipe: Pack washed pickling cucumbers into quart jars. Add to each jar 2 pods of hot pepper, 4 pods of garlic, and 1 teaspoon dill seed. Mix 1 quart vinegar, 2 quarts water, 3/4 cup pickling salt, and one tablespoon alum and bring to a boil. Pour boiling brine mixture into jars, seal, and don't open for two months. Makes approximately 5 quarts I'm using small and firm pickling cucumbers, but when I process this for 15 minutes, I get mushy pickles. Should I: 1. Shorten processing time 2. Make some change to the recipe 3. Just do it the way I always have, and hope no one gets poisoned Is 2 to 1 water to vinegar acidic enough to be safe? Help! Thanks. Allen B.