Pickle Crisp and Fermented pickles

[Mark Curry]

Hi all - regular lurker here with a question.

Last year took I took a dive into making various pickles with mostly
success. Dilled Carrots, Olive Oil Pickles, and a few quick pickles
were a great hit.

The Half-Sours that I tried tasted ok, but were mushy.
Most are still sitting in the fridge waiting some kind of
use as a relish or chutney, where the texture won't be noticed.

Found out about Pickle Crisp in this newsgroup, and want to
give it a try. I'm not sure on the use for fermented pickles
however - should I add the Pickle Crisp before fermentation or
after? It's just another salt, so I think it shouldn't affect
the fermentation too much. The package doesn't help much.
Most of the recipes I'm using are from The Joy of Pickling
by Linda Ziedrich

Looking for suggestions from the more experienced folks here.

The garden just gave us about 5 lbs of cukes - kids can only
eat soo many fresh. There's a few quarts worth ready to go...

Thanks,

Mark

[George Shirley]

Post by Mark Curry
Hi all - regular lurker here with a question.
Last year took I took a dive into making various pickles with mostly
success. Dilled Carrots, Olive Oil Pickles, and a few quick pickles
were a great hit.
The Half-Sours that I tried tasted ok, but were mushy.
Most are still sitting in the fridge waiting some kind of
use as a relish or chutney, where the texture won't be noticed.
Found out about Pickle Crisp in this newsgroup, and want to
give it a try. I'm not sure on the use for fermented pickles
however - should I add the Pickle Crisp before fermentation or
after? It's just another salt, so I think it shouldn't affect
the fermentation too much. The package doesn't help much.
Most of the recipes I'm using are from The Joy of Pickling
by Linda Ziedrich
Looking for suggestions from the more experienced folks here.
The garden just gave us about 5 lbs of cukes - kids can only
eat soo many fresh. There's a few quarts worth ready to go...
Thanks,
Mark
Hi all - regular lurker here with a question.
Last year took I took a dive into making various pickles with mostly
success. Dilled Carrots, Olive Oil Pickles, and a few quick pickles
were a great hit.
The Half-Sours that I tried tasted ok, but were mushy.
Most are still sitting in the fridge waiting some kind of
use as a relish or chutney, where the texture won't be noticed.

Fermented pickles don't do well at all with Pickle Crisp Mark, PC is
primarily for making fresh pickles and, even then, they need to sit in a
dark place for a few weeks in order to be crisp.

Post by Mark Curry
Found out about Pickle Crisp in this newsgroup, and want to
give it a try. I'm not sure on the use for fermented pickles
however - should I add the Pickle Crisp before fermentation or
after? It's just another salt, so I think it shouldn't affect
the fermentation too much. The package doesn't help much.
Most of the recipes I'm using are from The Joy of Pickling
by Linda Ziedrich

Pickle Crisp is calcium chloride and, if I remember correctly, is made
by treating limestone, in the instance I'm aware of it was Texas caliche
rock, of which we Texans have a lot of. Primary use for calcium chloride
is for road "salt." A road salt that doesn't rust your car out. Jarden
(Ball) dropped the PC for awhile but brought it back in a more efficient
form, larger pieces.

Post by Mark Curry
Looking for suggestions from the more experienced folks here.
The garden just gave us about 5 lbs of cukes - kids can only
eat soo many fresh. There's a few quarts worth ready to go...
Thanks,
Mark

Best advice I can give you for fermented pickles is to keep them in ice
water, very near freezing for a lengthy time and then ferment them. Lots
of recipes for fermented pickles on the web and how to keep them crisp.
Hope this helps.

George

[Mark Curry]

Post by George Shirley

Post by Mark Curry
Hi all - regular lurker here with a question.
Last year took I took a dive into making various pickles with mostly
success. Dilled Carrots, Olive Oil Pickles, and a few quick pickles
were a great hit.
The Half-Sours that I tried tasted ok, but were mushy.
Most are still sitting in the fridge waiting some kind of
use as a relish or chutney, where the texture won't be noticed.

Fermented pickles don't do well at all with Pickle Crisp Mark, PC is
primarily for making fresh pickles and, even then, they need to sit in a
dark place for a few weeks in order to be crisp.

<snip>

Post by George Shirley
Best advice I can give you for fermented pickles is to keep them in ice
water, very near freezing for a lengthy time and then ferment them. Lots
of recipes for fermented pickles on the web and how to keep them crisp.
Hope this helps.

Thanks - this sort of advice is exactly what I was looking for. Putting them
up tonight, will let everyone know in a few weeks how things turn out.

--Mark

[George Shirley]

Post by Mark Curry
Hi all - regular lurker here with a question.
Last year took I took a dive into making various pickles with mostly
success. Dilled Carrots, Olive Oil Pickles, and a few quick pickles
were a great hit.
The Half-Sours that I tried tasted ok, but were mushy.
Most are still sitting in the fridge waiting some kind of
use as a relish or chutney, where the texture won't be noticed.

Fermented pickles don't do well at all with Pickle Crisp Mark, PC is
primarily for making fresh pickles and, even then, they need to sit in a
dark place for a few weeks in order to be crisp.

Post by Mark Curry
Found out about Pickle Crisp in this newsgroup, and want to
give it a try. I'm not sure on the use for fermented pickles
however - should I add the Pickle Crisp before fermentation or
after? It's just another salt, so I think it shouldn't affect
the fermentation too much. The package doesn't help much.
Most of the recipes I'm using are from The Joy of Pickling
by Linda Ziedrich

Pickle Crisp is calcium chloride and, if I remember correctly, is made
by treating limestone, in the instance I'm aware of it was Texas caliche
rock, of which we Texans have a lot of. Primary use for calcium chloride
is for road "salt." A road salt that doesn't rust your car out. Jarden
(Ball) dropped the PC for awhile but brought it back in a more efficient
form, larger pieces.

Post by Mark Curry
Looking for suggestions from the more experienced folks here.
The garden just gave us about 5 lbs of cukes - kids can only
eat soo many fresh. There's a few quarts worth ready to go...
Thanks,
Mark

Best advice I can give you for fermented pickles is to keep them in ice
water, very near freezing for a lengthy time and then ferment them. Lots
of recipes for fermented pickles on the web and how to keep them crisp.
Hope this helps.

George

I thought I had sent this earlier but never saw it show up.

[Wilson]

Post by George Shirley

Post by Mark Curry
Hi all - regular lurker here with a question.
Last year took I took a dive into making various pickles with mostly
success. Dilled Carrots, Olive Oil Pickles, and a few quick pickles
were a great hit.
The Half-Sours that I tried tasted ok, but were mushy.
Most are still sitting in the fridge waiting some kind of
use as a relish or chutney, where the texture won't be noticed.

Fermented pickles don't do well at all with Pickle Crisp Mark, PC is
primarily for making fresh pickles and, even then, they need to sit in a
dark place for a few weeks in order to be crisp.

Post by Mark Curry
Found out about Pickle Crisp in this newsgroup, and want to
give it a try. I'm not sure on the use for fermented pickles
however - should I add the Pickle Crisp before fermentation or
after? It's just another salt, so I think it shouldn't affect
the fermentation too much. The package doesn't help much.
Most of the recipes I'm using are from The Joy of Pickling
by Linda Ziedrich

Pickle Crisp is calcium chloride and, if I remember correctly, is made by
treating limestone, in the instance I'm aware of it was Texas caliche rock,
of which we Texans have a lot of. Primary use for calcium chloride is for
road "salt." A road salt that doesn't rust your car out.

George, I think your comment that calcium chloride doesn't rust your car out
is in error. Here in the northeast they have been using it as a liquid
slurry to treat the roads before snow or icing can be packed down by
traffic. The result is a lot of premature break-lines rusting out and other
forms of accelerated rusting even greater than NaCl - regular salt. Just
saying :)

Jarden (Ball)

Post by George Shirley
dropped the PC for awhile but brought it back in a more efficient form,
larger pieces.

Post by Mark Curry
Looking for suggestions from the more experienced folks here.
The garden just gave us about 5 lbs of cukes - kids can only
eat soo many fresh. There's a few quarts worth ready to go...
Thanks,
Mark

Best advice I can give you for fermented pickles is to keep them in ice
water, very near freezing for a lengthy time and then ferment them. Lots of
recipes for fermented pickles on the web and how to keep them crisp. Hope
this helps.
George
I thought I had sent this earlier but never saw it show up.

[George Shirley]

Post by Wilson

Post by George Shirley

Post by Mark Curry
Hi all - regular lurker here with a question.
Last year took I took a dive into making various pickles with mostly
success. Dilled Carrots, Olive Oil Pickles, and a few quick pickles
were a great hit.
The Half-Sours that I tried tasted ok, but were mushy.
Most are still sitting in the fridge waiting some kind of
use as a relish or chutney, where the texture won't be noticed.

Fermented pickles don't do well at all with Pickle Crisp Mark, PC is
primarily for making fresh pickles and, even then, they need to sit in a
dark place for a few weeks in order to be crisp.

Post by Mark Curry
Found out about Pickle Crisp in this newsgroup, and want to
give it a try. I'm not sure on the use for fermented pickles
however - should I add the Pickle Crisp before fermentation or
after? It's just another salt, so I think it shouldn't affect
the fermentation too much. The package doesn't help much.
Most of the recipes I'm using are from The Joy of Pickling
by Linda Ziedrich

Pickle Crisp is calcium chloride and, if I remember correctly, is made by
treating limestone, in the instance I'm aware of it was Texas caliche rock,
of which we Texans have a lot of. Primary use for calcium chloride is for
road "salt." A road salt that doesn't rust your car out.

George, I think your comment that calcium chloride doesn't rust your car
out is in error. Here in the northeast they have been using it as a
liquid slurry to treat the roads before snow or icing can be packed down
by traffic. The result is a lot of premature break-lines rusting out and
other forms of accelerated rusting even greater than NaCl - regular
salt. Just saying :)
Jarden (Ball)

Post by George Shirley
dropped the PC for awhile but brought it back in a more efficient form,
larger pieces.

Post by Mark Curry
Looking for suggestions from the more experienced folks here.
The garden just gave us about 5 lbs of cukes - kids can only
eat soo many fresh. There's a few quarts worth ready to go...
Thanks,
Mark

Best advice I can give you for fermented pickles is to keep them in ice
water, very near freezing for a lengthy time and then ferment them. Lots of
recipes for fermented pickles on the web and how to keep them crisp. Hope
this helps.
George
I thought I had sent this earlier but never saw it show up.

You could be right Wilson, I did some work for a client in Louisiana a
number of years ago who made the "road salt" and I got the info from
them. Fortunately, this far south we've had no need for salting the
roads. Did experience that when I was in the Navy fifty-five years ago
and was stationed in the NE US. Sure rusted out my 1953 Ford flat head
eight cylinder. Haven't researched it since. Lots of caliche in Texas,
most goes for gravel the rest for road salt and Pickle Crisp I guess.

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Post by Mark Curry
Hi all - regular lurker here with a question.
Last year took I took a dive into making various pickles with mostly
success. Dilled Carrots, Olive Oil Pickles, and a few quick pickles
were a great hit.
The Half-Sours that I tried tasted ok, but were mushy.
Most are still sitting in the fridge waiting some kind of
use as a relish or chutney, where the texture won't be noticed.
Found out about Pickle Crisp in this newsgroup, and want to
give it a try. I'm not sure on the use for fermented pickles
however - should I add the Pickle Crisp before fermentation or
after? It's just another salt, so I think it shouldn't affect
the fermentation too much. The package doesn't help much.
Most of the recipes I'm using are from The Joy of Pickling
by Linda Ziedrich
Looking for suggestions from the more experienced folks here.
The garden just gave us about 5 lbs of cukes - kids can only
eat soo many fresh. There's a few quarts worth ready to go...
Thanks,
Mark

Hi Mark,

My grandmother soaked her cucumbers (and other veg) overnight in a picklecrisp solution (not sure what the ratio was). Then she rinsed them off and put them in fermenting crocks with regular salt, spices, garlic and dill. They came out real crisp and she didn't have to cut the blossom end off either.

[notbob]

Post by k***@gmail.com
Hi Mark,
My grandmother soaked her cucumbers (and other veg) overnight in a picklecrisp solution (not sure what the ratio was).

I've never heard of it!

As a newbie, here, I need all the info I can get fer this Summer's crop.
What is a "picklecrisp solution"? ;)

nb

[songbird]

Post by notbob

Post by k***@gmail.com
Hi Mark,
My grandmother soaked her cucumbers (and other veg) overnight in a picklecrisp solution (not sure what the ratio was).

I've never heard of it!
As a newbie, here, I need all the info I can get fer this Summer's crop.
What is a "picklecrisp solution"? ;)

https://www.freshpreserving.com/ball-pickle-crisp-granules-5.5-oz.-1034061VM.html

not sure what kathkwilts is referencing if
not this.


songbird

[notbob]

Post by songbird
https://www.freshpreserving.com/ball-pickle-crisp-granules-5.5-oz.-1034061VM.html
not sure what kathkwilts is referencing if
not this.

Thank for the link, sb. I didn't realize it was a commercial product.

I'll check it out. Again, thank you. ;)

nb

[Randal Oulton]

Post by notbob

Post by songbird
https://www.freshpreserving.com/ball-pickle-crisp-granules-5.5-oz.-1034061VM.html
not sure what kathkwilts is referencing if
not this.

Thank for the link, sb. I didn't realize it was a commercial product.
I'll check it out. Again, thank you. ;)
nb

Pickle Crisp is a commercial name for what is also a generic product, calcium chloride (food grade.) Full info is here: https://www.healthycanning.com/calcium-chloride/

[notbob]

Post by Randal Oulton
Pickle Crisp is a commercial name for what is also a generic product, calcium chloride (food grade.) Full info is here: https://www.healthycanning.com/calcium-chloride/

Thnx, Randal.

I didn't know there was a generic brand, but that's cuz I've yet to
research it.

Again, thnx fer doing the work for me. ;)

nb

[songbird]

Randal Oulton wrote:
...

Post by Randal Oulton
Pickle Crisp is a commercial name for what is also a generic product, calcium chloride (food grade.) Full info is here: https://www.healthycanning.com/calcium-chloride/

it would seem rather strange to me to call a calcium
chloride solution by the name pickle crisp if i were
actually meaning to use the generic chemical food grade
version. but that's just me. :)

hope the pickles work out. we usually put up about
100 quarts a year of simple dill pickles. my brother
said that he wants more dill in them. no problem. i
love dill. actually part of the reason some of it may
be lacking is that i sometimes eat it as i'm making
pickles. oops... we'll put in a few more plants this
year - they're not hard to grow.


songbird

[notbob]

Post by songbird
it would seem rather strange to me to call a calcium
chloride solution by the name pickle crisp if i were
actually meaning to use the generic chemical food grade
version.

Using a name of "Pickle Crisp" is a no-brainer fer someone. I mean, why
NOT re-name an existing item for profit. It's the American Way. ;)

nb

[Randal Oulton]

Post by notbob

Post by songbird
it would seem rather strange to me to call a calcium
chloride solution by the name pickle crisp if i were
actually meaning to use the generic chemical food grade
version.

Using a name of "Pickle Crisp" is a no-brainer fer someone. I mean, why
NOT re-name an existing item for profit. It's the American Way. ;)
nb

Yes, imagine renaming something generic and trying to sell it to people for ten times the price, next thing you know they'll be trying to bottle water and do the same -- lol.

[Joy Beeson]

My mother used lime in her pickles. She'd stopped making pickles by
the time I was old enough to be useful, so the only way I know this is
from a story she told about the first pickle season after she got
married. She went to -- I think it was a hardware store -- and asked
for a quarter's worth of lime. The clerk said "lady, you couldn't
*lift* a quarter's worth of lime," and gave her enough to make
pickles.

For reference, more than twenty years after that incident, fountain
drinks, candy bars, and ice-cream cones were five cents each. And if
I had a whole dime, I could have a funny book.

Pickle Crisp ads suggest strongly that liming was a prolonged and
laborious procedure.

When I make bread-and-butter pickles I put a pinch in the bottom of
each jar and they come out crisp. But I haven't tried it without the
calcium chloride. They also came out crisp when Mom made them, and
her recipe doesn't say a word about lime. But one does have to be
very careful not to let the vegetables boil. Also helps if the
cucumbers were picked soon enough and haven't developed seeds.

[songbird]

Joy Beeson wrote:
...

Post by Joy Beeson
When I make bread-and-butter pickles I put a pinch in the bottom of
each jar and they come out crisp. But I haven't tried it without the
calcium chloride. They also came out crisp when Mom made them, and
her recipe doesn't say a word about lime. But one does have to be
very careful not to let the vegetables boil. Also helps if the
cucumbers were picked soon enough and haven't developed seeds.

we've never limed any of our pickles and they
are fine if eaten within a year (almost all of
them are). after a year it can get iffy especially
if you use different kinds of cucumbers. some of
the kinds for fresh eating just turned to mush.

we've never used PC or the generic version.

my prep is to put the dill in the bottom of the
jar, pack the jar full of slices/spears and whatever
chunks i may have left to fit in there. when i have
all the jars done i fill them with water and dump
that water in the pot. this way i do not have to
waste much if any brine because i know how much i
need to make.

then i make the brine and bring it to a boil but
i don't cook the cucumbers at all, just dump the
brine in the jars, wipe the rim and put a lid on
and then process as quick as possible to get them
sealed. the lids are warmed up in some hot water
first.


songbird

[notbob]

Post by songbird
then i make the brine and bring it to a boil but
i don't cook the cucumbers at all, just dump the
brine in the jars, wipe the rim and put a lid on
and then process as quick as possible to get them
sealed. the lids are warmed up in some hot water
first.

Kinda agree. I don't always know what is normal, so don't argue much on
this subject.

I DO know that Claussen Dills go "soggy" if I buy the "1/4 cut
(lengthwise)" spears. I now only buy the "Whole" dill pickles. Izzat
part of the problem? Whole versus cut? ;)

nb

[Joy Beeson]

Post by songbird
then i make the brine and bring it to a boil but
i don't cook the cucumbers at all, just dump the
brine in the jars, wipe the rim and put a lid on
and then process as quick as possible to get them
sealed. the lids are warmed up in some hot water
first.

I never "process" a pickle. Processing is cooking.

I pour boiling syrup over the vegetables in the jar and seal at once.
Since we make very few pickles and have lots of refrigerator space, I
store them chilled, but Mom kept hers in the cellar and never had any
spoil.

I've never attempted a fermented pickle. That was the kind Mom made
most; I once heard her complain to another mother that she couldn't
fob off store-bought pickles on her children. I think she gave it up
in the late forties, though.

The recipe for fermented pickles wasn't in the hand-written book she
left us; I think that that was just something everybody knew. All I
remember of the procedure was that it called for big stone crocks and
brine strong enough to float an egg. Since we had our own hens, that
would have been a new-laid egg. And she put a grape leaf in to make
them crisp.