My (mis)Adventures in Canning

[blackberrygrl]

Given the incredibly foul weather we're having today, it seems a good a time as any to start canning.

I picked roughly 15 cucumbers yesterday. They are huge. I'm sure they are past their prime in terms of size. I planted Alibi cucumbers, in case anybody has ever grown those and have some advice. I'm using a pre-made pickling package - since I've never done this before, I don't want them not to turn out because of some stupid recipe mistake.

I bought a Presto pressure canner. I would have bought the regular big bath water canner, but it warned not to use it on a glass cooktop. Oh well.

Wish me luck!

http://idigmygarden.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=338&pictureid=3069

[lorna-organic]

Good luck and bon apetite! :)

[herb girl]

Making pickles is fun and easy. Sounds great, are you really gonna pressure can pickles though? Might be over kill and make them a tad mushy. Or are you just using it like a water bath canner?

[SpaceAge]

Making pickles is fun and easy. Sounds great, are you really gonna pressure can pickles though? Might be over kill and make them a tad mushy. Or are you just using it like a water bath canner?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

exactly ... :eek::confused::confused::confused:


I was going to say , you can probably can ANYTHING but ... pickles in that thing !

[ScarlettO'Herring]

I'm with Herb Girl. You need an old pre-uber-safety-crazy recipe, no pressure cooked pickles for you, ick! May as well make pickle pate.

1/2 bushel cukes
3/4 cup whole mixed pickling spice (bay leaves, mustard seeds, coriander, allspice, cardamon, ginger, cloves etc)
3 big bunches dill
2 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 3/4 cups canning salt
2 1/2 gallons good water

wash and scrub the cukes.
Get a clean food safe 5 gallon plastic bucket or crock.
make layers in the bucket: cukes, layer of spices, layer of dill.
Repeat within 4 inches of top of container, ending with a layer of spices and a layer of dill.
Mix vinegar, salt and water, stir to dissolve and then pour over all to cover.
Cover with a glass plate and weight top to keep cucumbers submerged.
Cover with a clean dishcloth or lid.
Leave sitting at cool shaded room temperature.
Remove scum daily.
Do not stir, but do keep covered with brine.

My Grandmother claimed this took about 3 weeks. Up here where room temperature can be a good deal cooler than Georgia, it seems to take a little longer ;) than 3 weeks

Strain the brine through a cheesecloth.
Add 2 cloves garlic and 1 sprig dill flower to each 1 pint jar.
Pack pickles into sterilised pint canning jars.
Boil the strained brine 10 minutes, then fill jars to 1/2 inch head space.

If you are so inclined, you can water-bath seal them for 10 minutes, but any heat is likely to create a mushy off-colour pickle. My Grandma is 97, and she never did anything but screw a sterilised cap on top and store it in a cool, dry place.

ScarlettO'

[rderge]

A pressure canner does double duty. It can easily be converted to a hot water bath canner. Just remove the rubber plug from the lid. Mine will hold 18 pints at a time, and I like that a lot. I do a lot of canning and I haven't used the blue granite canner at all this year.

By the way, I have had no problem using the old timey hot water bath canner on my ceramic cooktop. I can't imagine what problems might arise.

[RozieDozie]

I second, or is it 'third' the advice to not pressure can those pickles. I don't even hot water bath mine. If you use pickling vinger (10% or 9%, not the ordinary 5%), you can let the pickles 'pickle' in the jar, too, without brining them in the big crock.

Some folks here had trouble finding the 10% pickling vinegar. They still sell it in our grocery stores here. 9% acicity will work, too.

Rozie

[propercocker]

I wouldn't use the pressure canner on your glass cooktop stove, most of them aren't built for it, and even the few that are, you can ruin the top. My mom's friend spent hours trying to get the marks off of hers after she used a pressure canner on it, and it was one that said you could can on it...

[blackberrygrl]

I just used it as a hot water bath canner for the pickles.

propercocker: Egads! I've already broke one glass cooktop (a waffle iron collision!). I think my husband may just kill me if I do it a second time...

ETA: The canning appears to be successful. Every jar sealed properly. I haven't cracked one open to test, though.

[SpaceAge]

Yo blackberrygrl,

what's that 'mater in your Avatar ...?:eek::confused::cool:

[blackberrygrl]

SpaceAge: It's a Pink Berkley Tie-Dye.

[SpaceAge]

SpaceAge: It's a Pink Berkley Tie-Dye.

Ha Ha Pretty Funny ..:rolleyes: OK ... what is it REALLY ...? :confused:

[Zephyrbird5a-6]

Hey, I just tonight attended a canning and pickling class to refresh my memory. We pickled in brine, and hot bathed them.

Don't pressure cook those pickles.

Z

[blackberrygrl]

Ha Ha Pretty Funny ..:rolleyes: OK ... what is it REALLY ...? :confused:

Uhmm....really. That's what the packet says.