Posted: 7/11/2008 3:50:47 PM EDT
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Well guys, my small garden is taking off like a bat out of hell. I have a bucket garden going on my deck with tomatoes, green bells, jalapeños, lettuce, and pickling cukes. Everything is coming along very nicely. I picked 5 cukes tonight and have no idea how to store them long term. My mother told me there is a technique for making pickles which doesn't involve sterilizing the jars. End result is you can add brine to a jar of cukes, store in back of refrigerator for 4+ weeks, and have pickles stable enough for a month or two. She hasn't canned/stored in a while and can't recall the details. I have found recipes for making 'crock pot pickles' which is close to what I'm looking for. But, I don't have quite enough for a full crock. Does anyone have a good way to make pickles by the jar taking into account they only need to be stored in a refrigerator for a month or two? Thanks. |
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Even for refrigerator or crockpot pickles, you want things clean or sterile. there are some nasties than can grow in with your pickles. Basically if they start smelling bad, they are bad. I tried making some last year but my place gets way too hot to keep them cool, I don't even have a basement for the ideal place for pickle crocks. Google "making pickles" or "pickle recipes" and you will find quite a few sites dedicated to the cucumber preservation. |
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My mother use to make pickles in a 5 gal bucket and you just leave them in the bucket no refrigeration required, I remember eathing them well into the next year. I made some a couple years ago but my 35 yo son likes them really well so they made it about 7 mo. I will see if I can put my hands on the reciept I will post the reciept in the food section |
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Pickles are easy and last a good long time under refrigeration. Make sure you use a non-metallic vessel, I made mine in a 1 gallon deli jar. I didn't "sterilize" it, I just rinsed it out with boiling water. I didn't "hot pack" mine so I left the garlic in. At the end of the season last year, I had a bunch of green tomatoes that I knew wouldn't ripen before frost, so I pickled them. Here's the recipe I used: PICKLED DILL TOMATOES Yield: 7 pints 3 cups White vinegar 3 cups Water 12 Garlic cloves, peeled and sliced (I just smashed them and threw them in whole) 1/2 cup Salt 4 pounds Green tomatoes 1/4 cup Dill seeds (I also added fresh Dill) 7 bay leaves 1 tablespoon Peppercorns Combine vinegar, water, garlic and salt and heat to the boiling point. Thoroughly wash and dry tomatoes. Pack the tomatoes into hot, sterile jars. Add to each jar the dill seeds and peppercorns. Remove garlic cloves from vinegar mixture and pour mixture over the tomatoes to within 1/2- inch of the top. Immediately adjust lids. Seal and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. |
Thanks. First hit lead me to the following techinique which appears very easy. I am going to try today. Making Homemade No-Can Refrigerator Dill Pickles Mods: can we move this thread to the food forum? Thanks. |
Glad my minimal suggestion was of help! I often think of something for dinner and go googling for recipes, read a few and pick the best or combine etc. (don't go far from canning recipes though, there is essential chemistry going on) ETA- looks like a nice recipe for fresh pickles. I am one who prefers the deli style kosher dill that is crisp and cuke like. |