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BeeBop BeeBop is offline
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Default Homemade dill pickles question

Thanks everyone for your input!

DS loves the pickles, and Mom assured me they are fine. They are the same
ones she's made for the past 45 years, lol.

I *might* learn how to make them, but for the 1 or 2 jars of dills I eat in
a year (DH likes sweet pickles, and those disgust me) it would probably be a
waste of time. My sis makes them, so I can always steal a jar or two from
her.

~C


"Steve Pope" > wrote in message
...
> > wrote:
>
>>On Mon, 25 Jun 2007 05:37:04 GMT, "BeeBop" >

>
>>>Also, can you get botulism from homemade dill pickles? I am wondering if
>>>I
>>>should let my 2 year old son eat them.

>
>>C. Botulinum spores can only produce toxin if the pH is higher than
>>4.6 (i.e - low acid) and there is no oxygen present. If the pickles
>>are made with vinegar, the pH is probably low enough. If they are
>>traditional dill pickles - that is to say fermented - then the
>>fermentation process produces enough acid.
>>
>>There is no way of testing for botulin toxin at home other than
>>eatiing it and subsequently being hospitalized - it's really bad and
>>it doesn't take much.

>
> BeeBop was asking about whether an infant 2 or younger should eat
> the pickles. There, you have the concern that even if there is no
> botulin toxin, the botulism spores themselves can sicken the infant.
> (This doesn't happen to older children or adults.) So it's not clear
> to me the low acid environment makes it safe in this case.
>
> Steve