Re: [CH] Cold Pickle recipe wanted and update on this year's Amber Brew

Kristofer Blennow (kristofer@blennow.se)
Sun, 9 Jul 2000 11:49:23 +0200 

On 8 Jul 00, danceswithcarp wrote:

> Does anyone have a cold pickle recipe, like Clausen's?   I made some
> once using a "Kosher Dill" recipe that required some kind of black
> bread in a crock, but I can't find it.

There is a "Fermented Dill Pickles" recipe at:

http://www.foodsafety.ufl.edu/consumer/ga/ga017.htm

... if that is the kind you are looking for. Haven't tried it though. 
Guess it relies on the cucumbers and the dill to work properly.

> Also, yesterday at our Sam's Club (Like a CosCo) we saw "Foodsaver
> Vacuum Packaging System" that sucked the air out of bags and then
> sealed them.  The machine had an attachment that somehow sealed
> canning jars.  The vacuum seal on the jars was tight and I couldn't
> pull the lid off with my fingers and when the sales guy used a bottle
> opener to pop the top there was an audible rush of air into the jar as
> the seal broke.
> 
> Has anyone used one of these?   If I were to use one to seal cold
> pickles in their brine would I be tempting death?

If you just have enough acid in the brine, there should be no big 
problem. If you don't, you will certainly increase the risk for 
botulinum by removing air. 

But I wonder if there is much need for it. It will not create the 
kind of vacuum that traditional boiling/canning will do, and you will 
of course not get the sterilization. It is more meant to extend the 
freshness of food a couple of weeks, not really to preserve for long 
periods of time. I have tried hard to find info on ways to preserve  
pickles without heat, but not been successful.

Make a search for "vacuum" in the 1999 FoodSafe archives at:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/foodborne/foodsafe/searchfoodsafe.html

There are several threads on vacuum packaging of foods there.

More info on pickling/canning including recipes at:

http://www.foodsafety.ufl.edu/cmenu/can/canning.htm


If you want to discuss more, feel free to write me, don't want to 
make the list bored to a slow OT death...  ;)
All the best,
Kristofer