When last we left them, I had a batch of cloudy sour pickles I was concerned
about. So I replaced the brine, processed 20 minutes in a BWB that came
up to within an inch of the top of the jars and stuck them in the refrigerator.

Since they were not covered properly I assumed I was pasturizing the pickles,
not sterilizing them.

After a few weeks in the fridge, I opened a jar last night. They were so
salty that not even my wife, who loves salty things could eat them.

Can they be rescued? How?

I was wondering if I could soak them in something less salty which would remove
the salt, but would that make them dangerous to eat? Does fermenting them
again convert the salt to something sour and make them edible?

Should I just write it off as a failed experiment?

Thanks in advance,

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:
When last we left them, I had a batch of cloudy sour pickles I was
concerned about. So I replaced the brine, processed 20 minutes in a
BWB that came up to within an inch of the top of the jars and stuck
them in the refrigerator.

Was that one of the pieces of advice you received?

I was wondering if I could soak them in something less salty which
would remove the salt, but would that make them dangerous to eat?

Not if you eat all of them within the week.

Does fermenting them again convert the salt to something sour and
make them edible?

They won't ferment again.

Should I just write it off as a failed experiment?

Sounds like it.

B/

It took me three years and different recipes to get the Pickle thing right.
Someone may know better than I but I think it sounds like like my sauerkraut
this year...dump time!
"Geoffrey S. Mendelson" wrote in message
...
When last we left them, I had a batch of cloudy sour pickles I was
concerned
about. So I replaced the brine, processed 20 minutes in a BWB that came
up to within an inch of the top of the jars and stuck them in the
refrigerator.

Since they were not covered properly I assumed I was pasturizing the
pickles,
not sterilizing them.

After a few weeks in the fridge, I opened a jar last night. They were so
salty that not even my wife, who loves salty things could eat them.

Can they be rescued? How?

I was wondering if I could soak them in something less salty which would
remove
the salt, but would that make them dangerous to eat? Does fermenting them
again convert the salt to something sour and make them edible?

Should I just write it off as a failed experiment?

Thanks in advance,

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 05:04:10 +0000 (UTC), (Geoffrey
S. Mendelson) wrote:

When last we left them, I had a batch of cloudy sour pickles I was concerned
about. So I replaced the brine, processed 20 minutes in a BWB that came
up to within an inch of the top of the jars and stuck them in the refrigerator.

Since they were not covered properly I assumed I was pasturizing the pickles,
not sterilizing them.

After a few weeks in the fridge, I opened a jar last night. They were so
salty that not even my wife, who loves salty things could eat them.

Can they be rescued? How?

I was wondering if I could soak them in something less salty which would remove
the salt, but would that make them dangerous to eat? Does fermenting them
again convert the salt to something sour and make them edible?

Should I just write it off as a failed experiment?

Thanks in advance,

Geoff.

How strong was the brine? One of my pickling books mentions brines as
strong as 10%, but notes that at that strength the pickles have be
soaked in fresh water for several days to be edible.

You can ferment in a 2.5 - 3% brine. They just ferment faster (more
salt slows down the lacto-bacilli) and won't ferment out to full
sours.

Here is a link to the National Center for Home Food Preservation's
page on fermenting:

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can6a_ferment.html

And, remember - fermenting pickles is a natural biological process. We
try to create conditions the encourage fermentation, but we have no
control over what bacilli, fungi, and yeasts wind up in the container.
Sometimes it just won't ferment the way we want it to.

- Mark