Greetings!



I have some questions regarding pickles, and i was hoping y'all could
provide some information/advice.



I made a batch of dill pickles 5 weeks ago. Now i notice that 5 (out of 6)
jars have a white sediment settled on the bottom of the jar -

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...es_cloudy1.jpg



If i lightly shake, the liquid becomes cloudy -

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...es_cloudy2.jpg



My questions are 1) what happened? 2) why some jars and not entire batch?

and 3) are the pickles safe?



I have been making these pickles for years, and occasionally i have come
across a jar that was cloudy, but not often. We did not eat those pickles.
This time, however, 5 out of 6 jars are cloudy, and the lids on these 5 jars
were not taut (i can press the lid down with my finger and it pops back up).



The recipe calls for a cabbage leaf, cucs, dill, a jalapeno, and garlic
clove packed in sterilized jars. Hot water/vinegar/salt mixture is poured
over cucs and sterilized lids are placed on jars. Jars are stored in a cool
dark place for 6 weeks. The water/vinegar/salt brine was heated in a
stainless steel pot, and I used kosher salt.



I made a batch of bread and butter pickles (better homes and gardens recipe)
on the same day, and those turned out great, as usual.



Any ideas? Thanks!

"Claire" > wrote in message
...
>
> I made a batch of bread and butter pickles (better homes and gardens
> recipe) on the same day, and those turned out great, as usual.
>

Sorry I can't help with your cloudy pickles but can you share that B&B
pickle recipe from the Better Homes and Garden's magazine? :-) We're all
crazy about B&B pickles. I'm the only one who eats the Dills around here and
will probably stop making them. Thank you.

"Marie Dodge" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Claire" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> I made a batch of bread and butter pickles (better homes and gardens
>> recipe) on the same day, and those turned out great, as usual.
>>
>
> Sorry I can't help with your cloudy pickles but can you share that B&B
> pickle recipe from the Better Homes and Garden's magazine? :-) We're all
> crazy about B&B pickles. I'm the only one who eats the Dills around here
> and will probably stop making them. Thank you.

I actually found recipes (many based on the BH&G recipe) in NG archives (see
links below), as well as in my mom's BH&G cookbook. Following is the recipe
i use. It's based on the BH&G B&B pickle recipe and what i have seen in NG
archives. I'll note the BH&G recipe differences. Enjoy!

Bread & Butter Pickles



4 quarts sliced medium cukes (about 25)

3 cups sliced onions (about 4 medium) *(BH&G recipe: 8 medium onions)

3 cloves garlic sliced

1/3 cup canning salt

4 cups brown sugar *(BH&G recipe: 5 cups sugar)

3 cups cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric

1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed

2 tablespoons mustard seed



optional:

1 teaspoon mixed pickling spices (if you do this, steep spices in the
vinegar overnight, strain vinegar, and discard spices)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes



Combine cukes, onions, and garlic. Add salt; cover with cracked ice; mix
thoroughly. Let stand three hours, drain well. Remove garlic.



In a large kettle/saucepan bring the remaining ingredients to a boil,
stirring. Add the cucumbers and onions and heat to just a boil, stirring.



Seal in hot, sterilized jars. Yield: 7-8 pints.



Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 - 15 minutes to ensure a

seal; does not affect the crispness of the product.


http://groups.google.com/group/rec.f...90ffe8e478a9ca
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.f...90ffe8e478a9ca

"Claire" > wrote in message
...
> Greetings!
>
>
>
> I have some questions regarding pickles, and i was hoping y'all could
> provide some information/advice.
>
> I made a batch of dill pickles 5 weeks ago. Now i notice that 5 (out of 6)
> jars have a white sediment settled on the bottom of the jar -
>
> http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...es_cloudy1.jpg
>
> If i lightly shake, the liquid becomes cloudy -
>
> http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...es_cloudy2.jpg
>
> My questions are 1) what happened? 2) why some jars and not entire batch?
>
> and 3) are the pickles safe?
>
> I have been making these pickles for years, and occasionally i have come
> across a jar that was cloudy, but not often. We did not eat those pickles.
> This time, however, 5 out of 6 jars are cloudy, and the lids on these 5
> jars were not taut (i can press the lid down with my finger and it pops
> back up).
>
> The recipe calls for a cabbage leaf, cucs, dill, a jalapeno, and garlic
> clove packed in sterilized jars. Hot water/vinegar/salt mixture is poured
> over cucs and sterilized lids are placed on jars. Jars are stored in a
> cool dark place for 6 weeks. The water/vinegar/salt brine was heated in a
> stainless steel pot, and I used kosher salt.
>
> I made a batch of bread and butter pickles (better homes and gardens
> recipe) on the same day, and those turned out great, as usual.
>
> Any ideas? Thanks!
>

I'm not at all sure what caused your cloudiness -- since you used a
stainless steel pot, it shouldn't be that. Maybe the salt? I've never used
kosher salt, which I thought has no additives, but maybe it does.

You don't say that you processed the jars in a BWB to seal them. The 5 jars
with lids that you can depress with your finger are not sealed properly. If
you have kept them in the fridge since putting them up they may (depending
on the cause of the cloudiness) be safe to eat (in which case, keep them
refrigerated, of course). If they have not been refrigerated, I think you
should toss them.

Anny

Anny Middon wrote:

> You don't say that you processed the jars in a BWB to seal them. The
> 5 jars with lids that you can depress with your finger are not sealed
> properly.

Erf. I missed that.

Wot she says. That particular kind of cloudy doesn't look right. Too
opaque, too white.

B/

"Anny Middon" > wrote in message
...
> "Claire" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Greetings!
>>
>>
>>
>> I have some questions regarding pickles, and i was hoping y'all could
>> provide some information/advice.
>>
>> I made a batch of dill pickles 5 weeks ago. Now i notice that 5 (out of
>> 6) jars have a white sediment settled on the bottom of the jar -
>>
>> http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...es_cloudy1.jpg
>>
>> If i lightly shake, the liquid becomes cloudy -
>>
>> http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...es_cloudy2.jpg
>>
>> My questions are 1) what happened? 2) why some jars and not entire batch?
>>
>> and 3) are the pickles safe?
>>
>> I have been making these pickles for years, and occasionally i have come
>> across a jar that was cloudy, but not often. We did not eat those
>> pickles. This time, however, 5 out of 6 jars are cloudy, and the lids on
>> these 5 jars were not taut (i can press the lid down with my finger and
>> it pops back up).
>>
>> The recipe calls for a cabbage leaf, cucs, dill, a jalapeno, and garlic
>> clove packed in sterilized jars. Hot water/vinegar/salt mixture is poured
>> over cucs and sterilized lids are placed on jars. Jars are stored in a
>> cool dark place for 6 weeks. The water/vinegar/salt brine was heated in a
>> stainless steel pot, and I used kosher salt.
>>
>> I made a batch of bread and butter pickles (better homes and gardens
>> recipe) on the same day, and those turned out great, as usual.
>>
>> Any ideas? Thanks!
>>
>
> I'm not at all sure what caused your cloudiness -- since you used a
> stainless steel pot, it shouldn't be that. Maybe the salt? I've never
> used kosher salt, which I thought has no additives, but maybe it does.
>
> You don't say that you processed the jars in a BWB to seal them. The 5
> jars with lids that you can depress with your finger are not sealed
> properly. If you have kept them in the fridge since putting them up they
> may (depending on the cause of the cloudiness) be safe to eat (in which
> case, keep them refrigerated, of course). If they have not been
> refrigerated, I think you should toss them.
>
> Anny

Hi Anny,

Thanks for your reply! I checked the salt label, and as far as ingredients,
the label lists salt and nothing else. Also, i did not BWB process them,
because the recipe didn't call for that. And, no, the jars were not
refrigerated, so i'll toss them *sob* as you suggested - better safe than
sorry.

Regarding BWB processing, is it best to BWB process all pickled/canned items
that will not be stored in the fridge? Is the purpose of the BWB to produce
a good seal? Just curious. Tho i'll be sure to BWB the next batch i make.

FWIW, i did BWB the bread and butter pickles (as the recipe called for), and
those turned out great.

Thanks again for your advice/input!

"Brian Mailman" > wrote in message
m...
> Anny Middon wrote:
>
>> You don't say that you processed the jars in a BWB to seal them. The
>> 5 jars with lids that you can depress with your finger are not sealed
>> properly.
>
> Erf. I missed that.
>
> Wot she says. That particular kind of cloudy doesn't look right. Too
> opaque, too white.
>
> B/

Hi Brian,

Thanks for your reply! I'll follow the advice from you and Anny and toss
those pickles. I posted a couple questions about BWB in my reply to Anny, if
you have any input on that, i'd appreciate it. Thanks again!

"Claire" > wrote in message
...
>
>
> Hi Anny,
>
> Thanks for your reply! I checked the salt label, and as far as
> ingredients, the label lists salt and nothing else. Also, i did not BWB
> process them, because the recipe didn't call for that. And, no, the jars
> were not refrigerated, so i'll toss them *sob* as you suggested - better
> safe than sorry.

Heartbreaking, I know, but better than getting sick.

>
> Regarding BWB processing, is it best to BWB process all pickled/canned
> items that will not be stored in the fridge? Is the purpose of the BWB to
> produce a good seal? Just curious. Tho i'll be sure to BWB the next batch
> i make.

Depends on the recipe. Sometimes it's just to get a good seal, and
sometimes (for instance in raw pack of fruits) it brings the food up to a
temperature hot enough to destroy any bacteria.

I'm sure you lnow that low acid foods meats, seafood, vegetables, also some
fruits) must be pressure canned to be safe.

> FWIW, i did BWB the bread and butter pickles (as the recipe called for),
> and those turned out great.
>
> Thanks again for your advice/input!

Your dill pickles sound delicious, too. I recommend finding a similar
recipe at the National Center for Home Food Preserving website
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/index.html and following the directions for BWB
processing.

Anny

Claire wrote:
> "Brian Mailman" > wrote in message
> m...
>> Anny Middon wrote:
>>
>>> You don't say that you processed the jars in a BWB to seal them.
>>> The 5 jars with lids that you can depress with your finger are
>>> not sealed properly.
>>
>> Erf. I missed that.
>>
>> Wot she says. That particular kind of cloudy doesn't look right.
>> Too opaque, too white.

> Thanks for your reply! I'll follow the advice from you and Anny and
> toss those pickles. I posted a couple questions about BWB in my reply
> to Anny, if you have any input on that, i'd appreciate it. Thanks
> again!

For pickles that are salt-brined only (no vinegar) I do not BWB. I
refrigerate.

B/