I've been dabbling in making my own pickles lately. I've tried this in the past with mixed results, and I decided to give it a go again. I would say what I have is pretty close to what I am looking for, but something about the pickles still seems too strong or overpowering for some reason. Some of the first recipes I tried were straight vinegar, sugar and salt for the brine which was way way wayyyy too strong. So some of the newer recipes I am trying call for a certain amount of water to be used, which is much better. But for some reason the brine still seems a bit harsh and I'm wondering if there is something else I need to be doing to mellow it out more and make the flavors meld together better. I've seen some people simmer the brine first before adding it to the cucumbers. Is there a benefit to doing this? I've noticed that once I add the pickling spices, some turmeric, and dried dill along with some fresh garlic, that a lot of the stuff seems to keep floating to the top. This in turn sticks to the pickles when you pull them out of the jar, which I would rather not have that happen. I don't want to be biting into pieces of clove or mustard seeds. Does boiling help that stuff sink to the bottom? I've also heard to put it all in a cheesecloth pouch, which I can do - though I never see it that way in the pickles in the store, nor the home made ones I see at local farmers markets. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Yes, I do/have made pickles for a few years now. It's pretty essential to boil the concoction before letting it cool and adding the cucumbers. That might be what is affecting the severity of the vinegar in the mix. Which, I'm guessing, is why it's harsh. What kind of vinegar are you using? What's the water to vinegar ratio?
I've always wanted to try making my own pickles. I'm a pickle AND cucumber lover and it's about time that I learn how to make my own big batch! Please share your experiences and recipes! That would be very helpful and appreciative. Thank yoU!
My grandmother use to do many a picklin in the olden days eg; the 90s. Usually around summer, she made awesome sweet pickles and the best pickled green peppers ever, straight from her own garden. She lives in a nursing home though so no more of that . I'd like to start my own pickling actually but I've never tried it before and am a bit intimidated by the process. I don't want to ruin a bunch of cucumbers and I don't have a garden.
I have tried to make pickles before and they failed miserably. Seriously, they were some of the worst food I've ever had! They came out of the jar like wet noodles. Wet, limp, cold noodles that had been soaked in vinegar and dill for many months. Horrible! I wish you all the luck in the world, but unfortunately, I can't offer any advice at all on this one.
Make the brine ahead and add all the spices to it before adding the cucumbers. Let the flavours infuse into the brine for a day or so. This should help with the floating of all the items you are adding. I wouldn't cook the spices and hers into the brine though - just let them absorb the fluids over time.
I cannot seem to find the recipe right now, it was just something I found online in a hurry. If I recall, it was equal parts water and vinegar. I just used plain white vinegar, since I assumed that is what they intended since they did not specify a particular type of vinegar. I just looked at Emeril's recipe for pickles, and his calls for a lot more water than vinegar, so perhaps that was part of the problem. I also used a pre-mixed bottle of "pickling spices" (McCormick brand I believe), which I've since realized has way too much clove in it, which overpowered the pickles quite a bit, so I may just mix my own pickling spices from scratch next time and use less clove. I added some turmeric for color, which worked great and gave them that authentic pickle look.
