Opened a jar of the Luncheon spears and one of the Bread and Butter
pickles I put up a couple of weeks ago. Both types are very crisp and
make a distinct snap when bitten.

Using calcium chloride is a lot easier than doing the lime soak thing.
Particularly with the B&B pickles where I put a 1/4 teaspoon in each jar.

Making the sweet pickles was a bit of a pain and took about as long as
the lime soak pickles would have taken. Having just recently made the
sweets we haven't tried them as yet, another week and I will open a jar
and see how it went.

On Jul 13, 12:37*pm, George Shirley > wrote:
> Opened a jar of the Luncheon spears and one of the Bread and Butter
> pickles I put up a couple of weeks ago. Both types are very crisp and
> make a distinct snap when bitten.
>
> Using calcium chloride is a lot easier than doing the lime soak thing.
> Particularly with the B&B pickles where I put a 1/4 teaspoon in each jar.
>
> Making the sweet pickles was a bit of a pain and took about as long as
> the lime soak pickles would have taken. Having just recently made the
> sweets we haven't tried them as yet, another week and I will open a jar
> and see how it went.

Hi, George,
Where did you find your calcium chloride?
Thanks and hugs,
Anj

Anj wrote:
> On Jul 13, 12:37 pm, George Shirley > wrote:
>> Opened a jar of the Luncheon spears and one of the Bread and Butter
>> pickles I put up a couple of weeks ago. Both types are very crisp and
>> make a distinct snap when bitten.
>>
>> Using calcium chloride is a lot easier than doing the lime soak thing.
>> Particularly with the B&B pickles where I put a 1/4 teaspoon in each jar.
>>
>> Making the sweet pickles was a bit of a pain and took about as long as
>> the lime soak pickles would have taken. Having just recently made the
>> sweets we haven't tried them as yet, another week and I will open a jar
>> and see how it went.
>
> Hi, George,
> Where did you find your calcium chloride?
> Thanks and hugs,
> Anj

Right now I'm using the last three boxes of Ball Pickle Crisp I have,
after that I will have to buy it in bulk. Try he
http://tinyurl.com/kskpnu

On Jul 13, 5:50*pm, George Shirley > wrote:
> Anj wrote:
> > On Jul 13, 12:37 pm, George Shirley > wrote:
> >> Opened a jar of the Luncheon spears and one of the Bread and Butter
> >> pickles I put up a couple of weeks ago. Both types are very crisp and
> >> make a distinct snap when bitten.
>
> >> Using calcium chloride is a lot easier than doing the lime soak thing.
> >> Particularly with the B&B pickles where I put a 1/4 teaspoon in each jar.
>
> >> Making the sweet pickles was a bit of a pain and took about as long as
> >> the lime soak pickles would have taken. Having just recently made the
> >> sweets we haven't tried them as yet, another week and I will open a jar
> >> and see how it went.
>
> > Hi, George,
> > Where did you find your calcium chloride?
> > Thanks and hugs,
> > Anj
>
> Right now I'm using the last three boxes of Ball Pickle Crisp I have,
> after that I will have to buy it in bulk. Try hehttp://tinyurl.com/kskpnu

Thank you so much!
Hugs,
Anj

>Hi, George,
>Where did you find your calcium chloride?

Him? gunna look in just a minute at http://tinyurl.com/kskpnu
Me? http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/store/ click on 'cheesemaking and
cultures' for a two oz dripper bottle that says to use a quarter teaspoon per 2
gal milk and that it is from www.cheesemaking.com

S "Not hitmail" Turner
Ohio, USA

On Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:37:44 -0700 (PDT), Anj >
wrote:

>On Jul 13, 12:37*pm, George Shirley > wrote:
>> Opened a jar of the Luncheon spears and one of the Bread and Butter
>> pickles I put up a couple of weeks ago. Both types are very crisp and
>> make a distinct snap when bitten.
>>
>> Using calcium chloride is a lot easier than doing the lime soak thing.
>> Particularly with the B&B pickles where I put a 1/4 teaspoon in each jar.
>>
>> Making the sweet pickles was a bit of a pain and took about as long as
>> the lime soak pickles would have taken. Having just recently made the
>> sweets we haven't tried them as yet, another week and I will open a jar
>> and see how it went.
>
>Hi, George,
>Where did you find your calcium chloride?
>Thanks and hugs,
>Anj

Hi Anj,

I'm not George, he's younger and better looking than me ;-).
But, for your calcium chloride, check out shops that carry home
brewing supplies, either locally or on line. I used calcium chloride
to lower the pH of the mash when I was doing all-grain brewing. I know
I paid around $4.50 a pound, which will last a loooong time.

Ross.

Anj wrote:
> On Jul 13, 5:50 pm, George Shirley > wrote:
>> Anj wrote:
>>> On Jul 13, 12:37 pm, George Shirley > wrote:
>>>> Opened a jar of the Luncheon spears and one of the Bread and Butter
>>>> pickles I put up a couple of weeks ago. Both types are very crisp and
>>>> make a distinct snap when bitten.
>>>> Using calcium chloride is a lot easier than doing the lime soak thing.
>>>> Particularly with the B&B pickles where I put a 1/4 teaspoon in each jar.
>>>> Making the sweet pickles was a bit of a pain and took about as long as
>>>> the lime soak pickles would have taken. Having just recently made the
>>>> sweets we haven't tried them as yet, another week and I will open a jar
>>>> and see how it went.
>>> Hi, George,
>>> Where did you find your calcium chloride?
>>> Thanks and hugs,
>>> Anj
>> Right now I'm using the last three boxes of Ball Pickle Crisp I have,
>> after that I will have to buy it in bulk. Try hehttp://tinyurl.com/kskpnu
>
> Thank you so much!
> Hugs,
> Anj


They sell it in 50# buckets up here (cheap!) for melting the snow and
ice when it's -40° out. (Fahrenheit or celcius doesn't matter, cuz when
it's that cold it's the same thing.) I have some out in my garage, but
I've been too chicken to use any in my pickles. So I use 1/2 tsp of
Epsom salts instead.

Bob

On Jul 13, 11:03*pm, wrote:
> On Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:37:44 -0700 (PDT), Anj >
> wrote:
>
>
>
> >On Jul 13, 12:37*pm, George Shirley > wrote:
> >> Opened a jar of the Luncheon spears and one of the Bread and Butter
> >> pickles I put up a couple of weeks ago. Both types are very crisp and
> >> make a distinct snap when bitten.
>
> >> Using calcium chloride is a lot easier than doing the lime soak thing.
> >> Particularly with the B&B pickles where I put a 1/4 teaspoon in each jar.
>
> >> Making the sweet pickles was a bit of a pain and took about as long as
> >> the lime soak pickles would have taken. Having just recently made the
> >> sweets we haven't tried them as yet, another week and I will open a jar
> >> and see how it went.
>
> >Hi, George,
> >Where did you find your calcium chloride?
> >Thanks and hugs,
> >Anj
>
> Hi Anj,
>
> I'm not George, he's younger and better looking than me ;-).
> But, for your calcium chloride, check out shops that carry home
> brewing supplies, either locally or on line. I used calcium chloride
> to lower the pH of the mash when I was doing all-grain brewing. I know
> I paid around $4.50 a pound, which will last a loooong time.
>
> Ross.

Hi, Ross,

Thank you very much! We are about 60 miles from Dallas and I'll bet
they have brewing supply shops there!

Hugs,
Anj

wrote:
> On Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:37:44 -0700 (PDT), Anj >
> wrote:
>
>> On Jul 13, 12:37 pm, George Shirley > wrote:
>>> Opened a jar of the Luncheon spears and one of the Bread and Butter
>>> pickles I put up a couple of weeks ago. Both types are very crisp and
>>> make a distinct snap when bitten.
>>>
>>> Using calcium chloride is a lot easier than doing the lime soak thing.
>>> Particularly with the B&B pickles where I put a 1/4 teaspoon in each jar.
>>>
>>> Making the sweet pickles was a bit of a pain and took about as long as
>>> the lime soak pickles would have taken. Having just recently made the
>>> sweets we haven't tried them as yet, another week and I will open a jar
>>> and see how it went.
>> Hi, George,
>> Where did you find your calcium chloride?
>> Thanks and hugs,
>> Anj
>
> Hi Anj,
>
> I'm not George, he's younger and better looking than me ;-).
> But, for your calcium chloride, check out shops that carry home
> brewing supplies, either locally or on line. I used calcium chloride
> to lower the pH of the mash when I was doing all-grain brewing. I know
> I paid around $4.50 a pound, which will last a loooong time.
>
> Ross.
I'm younger than you? Gad, you must be ancient. <G>

On Jul 13, 8:23*pm, S Turner > wrote:
> >Hi, George,
> >Where did you find your calcium chloride?
>
> Him? gunna look in just a minute athttp://tinyurl.com/kskpnu
> Me?http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/store/click on 'cheesemaking and
> cultures' for a two oz dripper bottle that says to use a quarter teaspoon per 2
> gal milk and that it is fromwww.cheesemaking.com
>
> S "Not hitmail" Turner
> Ohio, USA

Thank you for the link!
Hugs,
Anj

On Jul 13, 11:53*pm, zxcvbob > wrote:
> Anj wrote:
> > On Jul 13, 5:50 pm, George Shirley > wrote:
> >> Anj wrote:
> >>> On Jul 13, 12:37 pm, George Shirley > wrote:
> >>>> Opened a jar of the Luncheon spears and one of the Bread and Butter
> >>>> pickles I put up a couple of weeks ago. Both types are very crisp and
> >>>> make a distinct snap when bitten.
> >>>> Using calcium chloride is a lot easier than doing the lime soak thing.
> >>>> Particularly with the B&B pickles where I put a 1/4 teaspoon in each jar.
> >>>> Making the sweet pickles was a bit of a pain and took about as long as
> >>>> the lime soak pickles would have taken. Having just recently made the
> >>>> sweets we haven't tried them as yet, another week and I will open a jar
> >>>> and see how it went.
> >>> Hi, George,
> >>> Where did you find your calcium chloride?
> >>> Thanks and hugs,
> >>> Anj
> >> Right now I'm using the last three boxes of Ball Pickle Crisp I have,
> >> after that I will have to buy it in bulk. Try hehttp://tinyurl.com/kskpnu
>
> > Thank you so much!
> > Hugs,
> > Anj
>
> They sell it in 50# buckets up here (cheap!) for melting the snow and
> ice when it's -40° out. (Fahrenheit or celcius doesn't matter, cuz when
> it's that cold it's the same thing.) *I have some out in my garage, but
> I've been too chicken to use any in my pickles. *So I use 1/2 tsp of
> Epsom salts instead.
>
> Bob

Ahhh... where is "up here"? It would probably cost me more for
shipping than it would for the salts! I found that out when I
starting buying bulk grains and DE.

Epsom salt is readily available anywhere... how does that work for
you? I have to admit, lime pickles are a pain to make, but ohhhhh I
love the crisp! *grin*
Hugs,
Anj

On Jul 14, 1:40*pm, David Arfsten > wrote:
> On Jul 13, 8:23*pm, S Turner > wrote:
>
> > >Hi, George,
> > >Where did you find your calcium chloride?
>
> > Him? gunna look in just a minute athttp://tinyurl.com/kskpnu
> > Me?http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/store/clickon 'cheesemaking and
> > cultures' for a two oz dripper bottle that says to use a quarter teaspoon per 2
> > gal milk and that it is fromwww.cheesemaking.com
>
> > S "Not hitmail" Turner
> > Ohio, USA
>
> Thank you for the link!
> Hugs,
> Anj

Oops! Sorry, y'all. My husband used the computer and his profile and
email address is showing instead of mine. I'll make sure I fix that
the next time I come to the group.
Anj

David Arfsten wrote:
> On Jul 13, 11:53 pm, zxcvbob > wrote:
>> Anj wrote:
>>> On Jul 13, 5:50 pm, George Shirley > wrote:
>>>> Anj wrote:
>>>>> On Jul 13, 12:37 pm, George Shirley > wrote:
>>>>>> Opened a jar of the Luncheon spears and one of the Bread and Butter
>>>>>> pickles I put up a couple of weeks ago. Both types are very crisp and
>>>>>> make a distinct snap when bitten.
>>>>>> Using calcium chloride is a lot easier than doing the lime soak thing.
>>>>>> Particularly with the B&B pickles where I put a 1/4 teaspoon in each jar.
>>>>>> Making the sweet pickles was a bit of a pain and took about as long as
>>>>>> the lime soak pickles would have taken. Having just recently made the
>>>>>> sweets we haven't tried them as yet, another week and I will open a jar
>>>>>> and see how it went.
>>>>> Hi, George,
>>>>> Where did you find your calcium chloride?
>>>>> Thanks and hugs,
>>>>> Anj
>>>> Right now I'm using the last three boxes of Ball Pickle Crisp I have,
>>>> after that I will have to buy it in bulk. Try hehttp://tinyurl.com/kskpnu
>>> Thank you so much!
>>> Hugs,
>>> Anj
>> They sell it in 50# buckets up here (cheap!) for melting the snow and
>> ice when it's -40° out. (Fahrenheit or celcius doesn't matter, cuz when
>> it's that cold it's the same thing.) I have some out in my garage, but
>> I've been too chicken to use any in my pickles. So I use 1/2 tsp of
>> Epsom salts instead.
>>
>> Bob
>
> Ahhh... where is "up here"? It would probably cost me more for
> shipping than it would for the salts! I found that out when I
> starting buying bulk grains and DE.
>
> Epsom salt is readily available anywhere... how does that work for
> you? I have to admit, lime pickles are a pain to make, but ohhhhh I
> love the crisp! *grin*
> Hugs,
> Anj

Bob lives in Minnesota, the calcium chloride he uses is not food grade,
it's used for melting ice and is industrial grade. If you're anywhere
close to Austin there should be some brew shops, ie beer making
supplies, in the area, they will have food grade calcium chloride.

Epsom salts is magnesium sulfate, a combination of magnesium and sulfur.

David Arfsten wrote:
> On Jul 13, 8:23 pm, S Turner > wrote:
>>> Hi, George,
>>> Where did you find your calcium chloride?
>> Him? gunna look in just a minute athttp://tinyurl.com/kskpnu
>> Me?http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/store/click on 'cheesemaking and
>> cultures' for a two oz dripper bottle that says to use a quarter teaspoon per 2
>> gal milk and that it is fromwww.cheesemaking.com
>>
>> S "Not hitmail" Turner
>> Ohio, USA
>
> Thank you for the link!
> Hugs,
> Anj

Most pickle recipes that use calcium chloride call for anywhere from 1/4
teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon of the powdered form. Depends on the size of
the jar you're filling.

On Jul 14, 2:11*pm, George Shirley > wrote:

>
> Most pickle recipes that use calcium chloride call for anywhere from 1/4
> teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon of the powdered form. Depends on the size of
> the jar you're filling.

Ahhh, so that means I wouldn't want to buy too much. Thank you for
the tip. I've gotten so used to doing things in bulk that I probably
wouldn't have considered how much is used.

Hugs,
Anj

David Arfsten wrote:
> On Jul 13, 11:53 pm, zxcvbob > wrote:
>> Anj wrote:
>>> On Jul 13, 5:50 pm, George Shirley > wrote:
>>>> Anj wrote:
>>>>> On Jul 13, 12:37 pm, George Shirley > wrote:
>>>>>> Opened a jar of the Luncheon spears and one of the Bread and Butter
>>>>>> pickles I put up a couple of weeks ago. Both types are very crisp and
>>>>>> make a distinct snap when bitten.
>>>>>> Using calcium chloride is a lot easier than doing the lime soak thing.
>>>>>> Particularly with the B&B pickles where I put a 1/4 teaspoon in each jar.
>>>>>> Making the sweet pickles was a bit of a pain and took about as long as
>>>>>> the lime soak pickles would have taken. Having just recently made the
>>>>>> sweets we haven't tried them as yet, another week and I will open a jar
>>>>>> and see how it went.
>>>>> Hi, George,
>>>>> Where did you find your calcium chloride?
>>>>> Thanks and hugs,
>>>>> Anj
>>>> Right now I'm using the last three boxes of Ball Pickle Crisp I have,
>>>> after that I will have to buy it in bulk. Try hehttp://tinyurl.com/kskpnu
>>> Thank you so much!
>>> Hugs,
>>> Anj
>> They sell it in 50# buckets up here (cheap!) for melting the snow and
>> ice when it's -40° out. (Fahrenheit or celcius doesn't matter, cuz when
>> it's that cold it's the same thing.) I have some out in my garage, but
>> I've been too chicken to use any in my pickles. So I use 1/2 tsp of
>> Epsom salts instead.
>>
>> Bob
>
> Ahhh... where is "up here"? It would probably cost me more for
> shipping than it would for the salts! I found that out when I
> starting buying bulk grains and DE.

This is cheap industrial grade calcium chloride -- like you would use
for antifreeze in tractor tires, or spray on a dirt road to keep the
dust down. It's not even close to food grade.

> Epsom salt is readily available anywhere... how does that work for
> you? I have to admit, lime pickles are a pain to make, but ohhhhh I
> love the crisp! *grin*

Epsom salt works a lot better than nothing. (probably about like alum,
but I haven't used alum in pickles in so long I can't really compare it)

HTH,
Bob

On Jul 14, 6:50*pm, zxcvbob > wrote:
> David Arfsten wrote:
> > On Jul 13, 11:53 pm, zxcvbob > wrote:
> >> Anj wrote:
> >>> On Jul 13, 5:50 pm, George Shirley > wrote:
> >>>> Anj wrote:
> >>>>> On Jul 13, 12:37 pm, George Shirley > wrote:
> >>>>>> Opened a jar of the Luncheon spears and one of the Bread and Butter
> >>>>>> pickles I put up a couple of weeks ago. Both types are very crisp and
> >>>>>> make a distinct snap when bitten.
> >>>>>> Using calcium chloride is a lot easier than doing the lime soak thing.
> >>>>>> Particularly with the B&B pickles where I put a 1/4 teaspoon in each jar.
> >>>>>> Making the sweet pickles was a bit of a pain and took about as long as
> >>>>>> the lime soak pickles would have taken. Having just recently made the
> >>>>>> sweets we haven't tried them as yet, another week and I will open a jar
> >>>>>> and see how it went.
> >>>>> Hi, George,
> >>>>> Where did you find your calcium chloride?
> >>>>> Thanks and hugs,
> >>>>> Anj
> >>>> Right now I'm using the last three boxes of Ball Pickle Crisp I have,
> >>>> after that I will have to buy it in bulk. Try hehttp://tinyurl.com/kskpnu
> >>> Thank you so much!
> >>> Hugs,
> >>> Anj
> >> They sell it in 50# buckets up here (cheap!) for melting the snow and
> >> ice when it's -40° out. (Fahrenheit or celcius doesn't matter, cuz when
> >> it's that cold it's the same thing.) *I have some out in my garage, but
> >> I've been too chicken to use any in my pickles. *So I use 1/2 tsp of
> >> Epsom salts instead.
>
> >> Bob
>
> > Ahhh... where is "up here"? *It would probably cost me more for
> > shipping than it would for the salts! *I found that out when I
> > starting buying bulk grains and DE.
>
> This is cheap industrial grade calcium chloride -- like you would use
> for antifreeze in tractor tires, or spray on a dirt road to keep the
> dust down. *It's not even close to food grade.
>
> > Epsom salt is readily available anywhere... how does that work for
> > you? *I have to admit, lime pickles are a pain to make, but ohhhhh I
> > love the crisp! *grin*
>
> Epsom salt works a lot better than nothing. *(probably about like alum,
> but I haven't used alum in pickles in so long I can't really compare it)
>
> HTH,
> Bob

Thank you for the answer, Bob!
Hugs,
Anj

On Jul 13, 8:23*pm, S Turner > wrote:
> >Hi, George,
> >Where did you find your calcium chloride?
>
> Him? gunna look in just a minute athttp://tinyurl.com/kskpnu
> Me?http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/store/click on 'cheesemaking and
> cultures' for a two oz dripper bottle that says to use a quarter teaspoon per 2
> gal milk and that it is fromwww.cheesemaking.com
>
> S "Not hitmail" Turner
> Ohio, USA

Hi, S "Not hitmail",
Gotta grin at that nick! Thank you for the link to Nichols. I've
just spent hours there drooling. *grin*
Hugs,
Anj

>> S "Not hitmail" Turner
>> Ohio, USA
>
>Hi, S "Not hitmail",
>Gotta grin at that nick!

One of three ways I mistype "hotmail.com."
"Hotmail.ocm" is dumb, and "hotamil" looks embarassing, I think, so I went with
'hit' to discourage the dumber email address harvester things.
>Thank you for the link to Nichols. I've
>just spent hours there drooling. *grin*

Yeah, I just spent some time at http://tinyurl.com/kskpnu (which turns into
http://www.bulkfoods.com/search_resu...h=fromSea rch
and haven't spent any money yet.

And about that long url. Testing, and hoping for no word wrap.
S 'Not Hitmail' Turner
Ohio, USA

>http://tinyurl.com/kskpnu

8-)
Sweet. Differently pretty than www.sfherb.com .
STurner
Ohio, USA

>They sell
[ calcium chloride]
> in 50# buckets up here (cheap!) for melting the snow and
>ice
>I have some out in my garage, but
>I've been too chicken to use any in my pickles

Good choice.
Snow melter CaCl is almost certainly free of snarg, botulin,
and kitten feathers.
OMG. I just said "kitten feathers."
Gutten Nacht.
STurner
Ohio, USA

Buzzards.
I hate setting up s'ware.

On Jul 14, 10:38*pm, Clear Satin > wrote:
> >http://tinyurl.com/kskpnu
>
> 8-)
> Sweet. Differently pretty thanwww.sfherb.com.
> STurner
> Ohio, USA

This site doesn't have calcium chloride, but if you use an herb site
for bulk herbs, this one is terrific--herbalcom.com.
http://tiny.cc/tHka1

Although the site doesn't say it, this is the online version of
Ameriherb located in Ames, Iowa. I have ordered from the
herbalcom.com site and was very pleased with the experience. The site
is plain Jane, but the prices on the spices and herbs they carry are
terrific.
Hugs,
Anj

"George Shirley" > wrote in message
.. .
> Opened a jar of the Luncheon spears and one of the Bread and Butter
> pickles I put up a couple of weeks ago. Both types are very crisp and make
> a distinct snap when bitten.
>
> Using calcium chloride is a lot easier than doing the lime soak thing.
> Particularly with the B&B pickles where I put a 1/4 teaspoon in each jar.
>
> Making the sweet pickles was a bit of a pain and took about as long as the
> lime soak pickles would have taken. Having just recently made the sweets
> we haven't tried them as yet, another week and I will open a jar and see
> how it went.

Do you water bathe your pickles or just refrigerate them?

D. Arlington wrote:
>
> "George Shirley" > wrote in message
> .. .
>> Opened a jar of the Luncheon spears and one of the Bread and Butter
>> pickles I put up a couple of weeks ago. Both types are very crisp and
>> make a distinct snap when bitten.
>>
>> Using calcium chloride is a lot easier than doing the lime soak thing.
>> Particularly with the B&B pickles where I put a 1/4 teaspoon in each jar.
>>
>> Making the sweet pickles was a bit of a pain and took about as long as
>> the lime soak pickles would have taken. Having just recently made the
>> sweets we haven't tried them as yet, another week and I will open a
>> jar and see how it went.
>
> Do you water bathe your pickles or just refrigerate them?

I always water bath the pickles, have never refrigerated them as we make
way to many jars to do that. I always refrigerate pickles when I open a
new jar as we like them chilled. Same with jams and jellies, also water
bathed.

On Jul 13, 2:37*pm, Anj > wrote:
> On Jul 13, 12:37*pm, George Shirley > wrote:
>
> > Opened a jar of the Luncheon spears and one of the Bread and Butter
> > pickles I put up a couple of weeks ago. Both types are very crisp and
> > make a distinct snap when bitten.
>
> > Using calcium chloride is a lot easier than doing the lime soak thing.
> > Particularly with the B&B pickles where I put a 1/4 teaspoon in each jar.