Homemade Pickles & Relishes

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Homemade Pickles Relishes
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Resources for Today

• Homemade Pickles Relishes (B2267)
• www.foodsafety.wisc.edu/
• How Do I..Pickle (NCHFP)
• www.uga.edu/nchfp/

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2 Types of Pickles

• Fermented or crock pickles
• Fresh pack or quick process pickles
• ? BOTH require sufficient acid for safety

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Cucumber Pickles

• Start with high quality ingredients
• Choose fresh, firm cucumbers
• Smaller cukes can be pickled whole slice or chop
  larger cukes
• Sort and wash before using
• Did you know? Zucchini can be substituted for
  cucumbers in most pickle recipes!

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Other Ingredients

• Softened water to help prevent cloudiness and
  retain color
• Vinegar (5 acetic acid)- white or apple cider
  Beware 4 vinegar, homemade vinegar, other acids
• Canning pickling salt to prevent cloudiness
  (critical for fermentation!)
• Sugar and sugar-substitutes use with care

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Spices, grape leaves, firming agents

• Add flavor with spices! Powdered spices will
  cloud brine
• Grape leaves- not recommended
• Lime as an initial soak only! Repeat rinsing to
  remove excess.
• Alum is not recommended and only with fermented
  cukes, if used

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Fermented Products

• Bacteria naturally on cabbage or cukes produce
  acid from sugar
• The amount of salt is key!
• Keep cucumbers submerged in brine during
  fermentation
• Store between 68-74F for best fermentation

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Genuine Dills Sauerkraut

• Remove scum daily or seal crock with a plastic
  bag filled with brine (not water!)
• Heat process for a high quality product or
  refrigerate
• Use fresh brine for canning

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Tips for Quality Pickles

• Remove 1/16-inch from blossom end of cukes to
  prevent softening
• Pack fresh cucumbers in ice before making
  fresh-pack pickles
• Clean all produce well
• Use the freshest possible ingredients

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Heat Processing

• Most pickles relishes are processed in a
  boiling water canner for 5-10 minutes
• Use pre-sanitized jars for processes under 10
  minutes
• A low temperature process (180F for 30 min) can
  be used only where allowed

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Common Pickle Questions

• Salt is added for flavor in quick pickles and can
  be omitted
• Sugar is added for flavor and quality but can be
  omitted, sugar can also be increased to combat
  acidity
• No recipes for pressure canning pickles
• For sugar-free or low-salt pickling
  www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/diet_pick.html

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Vegetables Pickles

• Asparagus .. to Zucchini!
• Always use an approved recipe
• Or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks but dont delay
  processing!
• Try a freezer pickle recipe!

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Fruit Pickles

• Select firm, fresh fruit.
• Simmer whole fruit in a spicy, sweet-sour syrup.
• Pack and process.

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Common Questions

• Blue garlic is A-OK
• Using burpless cucumbers is not recommended
• Aluminum pans for preparing brine are not
  recommended
• Shriveled pickles - too much sugar, salt or
  vinegar, over-processing, delayed pickling, and
  dry weather

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Question time??