Posted: 8/10/2010 4:25:52 PM EDT
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Having an overabundance of cucumbers this year, I decided to finally give canning a try. Several jars didn't seal overnight so I put them in the refrigerator, figuring to eat them first. Well, I noticed the next day that all the cold jars appeared to be sealed. My questions is this: are those jars really sealed so that I can take them out of the 'fridge and put them on the shelf? It'd be nice to have the space back.
I opened one of the refrigerated jars to eat and the inner lid was tight enough that I needed a can opener to pop it open. It did seem sealed, but I have never read anything about being able to chill the jars to get them to seal. Thanks for the info! |
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Thanks, I'll try that!
I don't have a canner and most of the people I've talked to said I didn't even need to do the 10 minute boiling water thing after I put the lids on. I think that's where my problems came from. I 'bathed' the jars I made today and they all sealed nicely. |
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Yeah, pull one out, let it warm up and see what happens. Are you heating the lids enough before using them? Besides sterilizing them, it tends to soften the compound. Make sure to wipe the jar rims well also. I use a towel dipped in vinegar. And getting the feel for how much to tighten the rings just sort of comes from experience. Incorrect head space or processing time can cause problems. Stuff will creep out under the lids as you heat (or overheat) it and will leave stuff that will prevent a good seal. |
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Quoted:
Thanks, I'll try that! I don't have a canner and most of the people I've talked to said I didn't even need to do the 10 minute boiling water thing after I put the lids on. I think that's where my problems came from. I 'bathed' the jars I made today and they all sealed nicely. I'm confused... While technically you don't have to have a canner to can pickles, you still need to have a pot large enough to cover the jars with 1-2" of water, and boil 'em for 15 minutes after putting the lids on. Did you boil yours at all? The alternative is "refrigerator pickles" - don't have to be canned, but they're not shelf stable and must be kept in the fridge. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Thanks, I'll try that! I don't have a canner and most of the people I've talked to said I didn't even need to do the 10 minute boiling water thing after I put the lids on. I think that's where my problems came from. I 'bathed' the jars I made today and they all sealed nicely. I'm confused... While technically you don't have to have a canner to can pickles, you still need to have a pot large enough to cover the jars with 1-2" of water, and boil 'em for 15 minutes after putting the lids on. Did you boil yours at all? The alternative is "refrigerator pickles" - don't have to be canned, but they're not shelf stable and must be kept in the fridge. That's contrary to the way we do ours. Mom was eating pickles that were 7 yrs old last year w/no ill effects. After boiling the brine, I don't see what you gain by further boiling the jars. YMMV. |
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Several jars didn't seal overnight so I put them in the refrigerator, figuring to eat them first. Well, I noticed the next day that all the cold jars appeared to be sealed. My questions is this: are those jars really sealed so that I can take them out of the 'fridge and put them on the shelf? My rule is simple: if pickles don't seal on the initial hot pack, they go in the frig and stay there until used. With that said, I'm very, very conservative when it comes to food safety and home canned products. |
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Thanks, I'll try that! I don't have a canner and most of the people I've talked to said I didn't even need to do the 10 minute boiling water thing after I put the lids on. I think that's where my problems came from. I 'bathed' the jars I made today and they all sealed nicely. I'm confused... While technically you don't have to have a canner to can pickles, you still need to have a pot large enough to cover the jars with 1-2" of water, and boil 'em for 15 minutes after putting the lids on. Did you boil yours at all? The alternative is "refrigerator pickles" - don't have to be canned, but they're not shelf stable and must be kept in the fridge. That's contrary to the way we do ours. Mom was eating pickles that were 7 yrs old last year w/no ill effects. After boiling the brine, I don't see what you gain by further boiling the jars. YMMV. I dunno, just going by what the books say. I'm guessing it's because even if you boil the brine, the minute you pour it over the room-temperature pickles it drops way below 212F, and hence doesn't do anything to sterilize the cukes themselves. But... >>Mom was eating pickles that were 7 yrs old last year w/no ill effects.... Hard to argue with personal experience! Personally we make both, some boiled ones for long-term storage, and a bunch that aren't but are kept in the fridge, because I much prefer the crispier texture. Wish I could find the best of both worlds in a single recipe! |
| Look up lime pickles. I thought we had an old, seldom used recipe. Not true. It's all over the web. You soak cukes in lime for 24 hours and then rinse, soak 3 hrs, and then into syrup/brine for 12 hrs. 45 min. or soil on boil/simmer and they are ready to jar. They are sweet pickles, but you might be able to do dills after the lime process. The lime reacts with the composition of the cuke to make it crispy. Calcium chloride can also be used, but I have no experience. |
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Look up lime pickles. I thought we had an old, seldom used recipe. Not true. It's all over the web. You soak cukes in lime for 24 hours and then rinse, soak 3 hrs, and then into syrup/brine for 12 hrs. 45 min. or soil on boil/simmer and they are ready to jar. They are sweet pickles, but you might be able to do dills after the lime process. The lime reacts with the composition of the cuke to make it crispy. Calcium chloride can also be used, but I have no experience. cool....is there a flavor left from the limes?....  .....the wifes blueberry lime sounded  when she first said it....now it's my favorite.
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| Lime as in limestone. It is pickling lime. Mrs. Wages makes it as did Ball. You can normally find it at canning shops and country grocers. The Mrs. Wages has the recipe on the package. Most recipes use 7lbs. of cukes, we use 8. If there is interest, I can post the recipe here. They are super sweet, super spicy (allspice, mustard seed, cloves, celery seed) and make tuna fish that is out of this world. Subway sandwiches just aren't the same without them either. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Thanks, I'll try that! I don't have a canner and most of the people I've talked to said I didn't even need to do the 10 minute boiling water thing after I put the lids on. I think that's where my problems came from. I 'bathed' the jars I made today and they all sealed nicely. I'm confused... While technically you don't have to have a canner to can pickles, you still need to have a pot large enough to cover the jars with 1-2" of water, and boil 'em for 15 minutes after putting the lids on. Did you boil yours at all? The alternative is "refrigerator pickles" - don't have to be canned, but they're not shelf stable and must be kept in the fridge. Not necessarly, I make mine in a 5 gal bucket and that is where they remain till they are eaten. |
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Quoted:
Lime as in limestone. It is pickling lime. Mrs. Wages makes it as did Ball. You can normally find it at canning shops and country grocers. The Mrs. Wages has the recipe on the package. Most recipes use 7lbs. of cukes, we use 8. If there is interest, I can post the recipe here. They are super sweet, super spicy (allspice, mustard seed, cloves, celery seed) and make tuna fish that is out of this world. Subway sandwiches just aren't the same without them either.  .....thought it'd be interesting though.
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