[puravida]

Got a real glut of 4"-6" long baby cucumbers and thinking of making some pickles out of them. Can't remember the variety but they are quite spikey little things.

Any tried and tested recipes?

[gobs]

Yes, just keep the gun away.  

One of the millions: put well washed cucies into  cleaned jars, add flavouring to your liking (horseradish, dill, ginger, chillie, cherry leaves).

Pickling water: to 1l of water  2dl vinegar, 1 tbsn salt and 2 tbsn sugar; boil it and cool to luke warm.


Cover cucumbers with it and close.  Enjoy.

[WG.]

Can I suggest that you use litre or millilitre please since dl is not a term many folks are familiar with.  Also the vinegar mix maybe looks a bit weak for our watery 5% vinegar?

[Sally A]

I wasn't sure if a dl was a demi-litre or a decilitre ie half or a tenth, surely must be a tenth cos 2dl would be 1l. :?

[WG.]

Well a decilitre is a 10th of a litre (100ml).  200ml of our vinegar in a litre of water yields only 1% acetic acid by volume.

Half and half is what I'd recommend

[gobs]

Sorry all again! :oops:

I will get the hang of this, sure. :roll:

1 l water to 2000 ml or 200 cl or 20% or 1/5 th strong vinegar.

[WG.]

Have you been able to find 20% vinegar in the UK?  5% is the norm

[Sally A]

think Gobs is talking ratios there not vinegar strength.

[WG.]

think Gobs is talking ratios there not vinegar strength.

Yes I know.  BUT - if the vinegar is weaker to start with the ratios MUST change or you could poison yourself.

[Sally A]

Yer right there.  Just found an old 5 litre container of pickling vinegar out the back, it doesn't even say a % of acetic acid on it, so I stuck me finger in and it tasted just like normal stuff.  Bit silly of me really, cos me dad would use old containers for anything.

[gobs]

Well, the recipe actually goes 1-2 dl vinegar, so I posted just the utmost with that in account.

[WG.]

For pickling, vinegar is necessary to properly preserve foods by inhibiting the growth of food spoilage bacteria. All Heinz® Vinegars are “pickling strength” (5 percent acidity), which means that they are at an acidity level that is recommended for successful, safe, home preservation of foods.

Have you been able to find 20% vinegar in the UK?  5% is the norm

[Sally A]

Should 5% ones be used neat then?

[WG.]

Half and half is what I'd recommend (for cucumber pickle that is)

That ratio will give you a 2.5% acetic acid by volume end result.

200ml of 20% acetic acid by volume in 1 litre of water would give you a 3.4% acetic acid by volume end result.

Strongest vinegar I've seen in the UK is Sarson's Pickling Strength which is 6%

[gobs]

Well, as far as I'm aware the ideal you are aiming for is 4% acidity.

Any lower, won't necessary do you ill but will will result in shorter storage earlier spoilage and poorer quality and flavour of pickle.

I'm sorry, we happen to use 10% vinegar  and the like and try not to forget about that in future.