[cheshirecheese]

I've just found this recipe for sweet & sour pickled marrow, but it says it has to be kept refrigerated, i.e. even when it's not been opened it can't be stored in a cool, dark cupboard in the normal way.  Can anyone tell me why?  There seems to be the requisite amount of sugar and vinegar in there along with some salt ...

1.25kg Marrow
4 Onions
2 Green Peppers
2 Tsp Salt
300ml Cider Vinegar
450g Sugar
Half tsp Celery Seeds
Half tsp White Mustard Seeds

You place the flesh of the marrow into a colander, weight it and allow it to drain.  You then heat the vinegar and sugar, add the spices and sliced veg and boil for 4 minutes.  Then pack into sterilised jars and seal ... so why does it need refrigerating??

[Springlands]

That sounds very much like an American recipe that I use (Bread and Butter Pickle) which uses cucumber instead of marrow. Bread and Butter pickle is also usually refrigerated. I think that it is because of the water content of the cukes and that would also apply to marrows. The pickled cukes go soft quite quickly if they are not refrigerated. 

[cheshirecheese]

Mmmm - I thought it might be something to do with the water content, even though it's weighted and drained.  That's a shame, but thanks for the info!   

[Trillium]

If the jars are hot sealed to make a water bath type seal, then the pickles don't need to be refrigerated until opened. Some folk just put the jar lid on the hot contents but this doesn't always make a good jar seal so refrigerating this method of sealing is best. Again, once opened, it must be refrigerated. There's not enough vinegar to keep the contents edible for a length of time like several weeks or months.

[cheshirecheese]

Thanks Trillium.  I must admit I've never tried the waterbath method - I really ought to give it a go 

[Trillium]

As long as the brine is very hot when added to the jars, a 5-10 minute waterbath will do the trick. I've had bread and butter pickles 7years old on my shelves and they still taste great when opened.

Only reason I have 7 year old pickles is that the 'hired help' is too lazy to reach for the oldest marked jars and will usually grab the newest jars 

[cheshirecheese]

Only reason I have 7 year old pickles is that the 'hired help' is too lazy to reach for the oldest marked jars and will usually grab the newest jars 

Just can't get the staff these days, eh?!!