Guest guest Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 HI All I made 5 gallons of awesome fermented dill pickles last month. Last week I tried again with the same recipe and now the 2nd batch has white slime on them and they are not very tart. Where do you think I went wrong? Thank you! Kathy in Ohio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 Basically if the ferment doesn't go in the right direction, you don't get the nice " sour " bacteria that make a good pickle. Having enough salt, acid, or a starter culture are ways people ensure this. Results can vary based on the amount of sugars in the cukes, how much yeast is on the skins, the temp of the room. My method is to add a splash of vinegar for insurance, which seems to work so far. Some spices help too (red pepper seems to encourage the right bacteria). And of course there needs to be enough salt, though perhaps the vinegar reduces the need for salt. On Tue, Jul 21, 2009 at 10:43 AM, whoismyfarmer1<whoismyfarmer@...> wrote: > HI All > > I made 5 gallons of awesome fermented dill pickles last month. Last week I tried again with the same recipe and now the 2nd batch has white slime on them and they are not very tart. > > Where do you think I went wrong? > > Thank you! > > Kathy in Ohio > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 22, 2009 Report Share Posted July 22, 2009 One splash of vinegar in a gallon of pickles enough? Thanks for the ideas! --- In nutrition , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 22, 2009 Report Share Posted July 22, 2009 Hi, and sorry to interrupt,but how about separating 1 quart of them to a different jar with brim for the future check and leave as is. But I think the white slim is yeast and will produce alcohol and then turn to vinegar. However I think it will lose crispiness and make astonishingly sour. What would you think ? isao Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 22, 2009 Report Share Posted July 22, 2009 The recipe my great-grandma used (according to my Mom), and that I use, is 2T salt, 2T vinegar, to one quart of boiled/cooled water. It's always worked so I've never changed it. However, I also " salt down " my pickles the day before, to let them wilt a little (makes them crispier in the long run). But that adds a little salt to the mix too, so I can't say it's an exact measurement. On Wed, Jul 22, 2009 at 4:19 AM, whoismyfarmer1<whoismyfarmer@...> wrote: > One splash of vinegar in a gallon of pickles enough? Thanks for the ideas! > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 22, 2009 Report Share Posted July 22, 2009 I buy my cucumbers from a shop run by an aged Cypriot lady. She asked me what I was going to do with them and when I said ferment them she asked me how I was going to do it. So I ran through the list of ingredients, water, salt, spices ..............she looked worried....bay leaves, tarragon, ..........she still looked anxious, so I remembered 's great-grandma.......vinegar, I said. A big smile of relief spread over her face, " Ah yes, " she said " That will be all right " . Actually I didn't put the vinegar in and they were still alright but vinegar has a lot of authority behind it. Sally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 22, 2009 Report Share Posted July 22, 2009 Um. Wow. If I was there I'd invite Cypriot lady to dinner (or her favorite outing) and bring a recorder. Bet you could learn a lot from her! My Mom never did this stuff, but when she found out I was doing it she started quoting from her (amazing) memory of her childhood. People tend to like talking about what they know (raises hand!) and having and audience. And those previous generations knew a LOT that never got written down. Scientifically though ... the bacteria that make the " good " ferments are acid-loving. So just nudging the ferment to the acidic side will prevent the white/slimy/yeasty stuff from taking over. Ferments are kind of like a garden. You have some tilled soil ... *something* will take it over. If you do nothing, in my area, you will get fireweed. If you plant pumpkins, the pumpkins will take over. If you plant nasturtiums, the nasturtiums take over. It it's in the shade, moss takes over. They all duke it out with chemicals until one claims the territory. Your job as gardener is to create the environment where lactobacilli take over, and a splash of vinegar does that. As Isao would say though: it is different if you are making, say, miso, which is NOT a LAB ferment. But for kraut and pickles, LAB-type ferments are all you need to deal with. Isao's idea of saving your white/yeasty stuff and making vinegar is a good idea, I think. I've had some outstanding vinegars come out of " ruined " ferments. As a rule of thumb, if it turns out acidic, it's probably good-tasting. I don't know much about the non-acidic ferments, except miso, which at this point I still buy. On Wed, Jul 22, 2009 at 8:50 PM, Sally Eva<bobsallyeva@...> wrote: > I buy my cucumbers from a shop run by an aged Cypriot lady. She asked me > what I was going to do with them and when I said ferment them she asked > me how I was going to do it. So I ran through the list of ingredients, > water, salt, spices ..............she looked worried....bay leaves, > tarragon, ..........she still looked anxious, so I remembered 's > great-grandma.......vinegar, I said. A big smile of relief spread over > her face, " Ah yes, " she said " That will be all right " . > > Actually I didn't put the vinegar in and they were still alright but > vinegar has a lot of authority behind it. > > Sally > > H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Why do you boil the water first? Thanks GB --- In nutrition , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Most water has bacteria in it, unless it's chlorinated, in which case it has chlorine in it. In either case, boiling it makes it safer for fermenting. Our well water has some really weird iron-eating bacteria in it, which grows strange long strands of algae stuff inside the toilet tank. Which is enough to make me want to boil it. I expect in great-grandma's day, the water was likely even more suspect. On Thu, Jul 23, 2009 at 12:19 PM, Guru K<greatyoga@...> wrote: > > > Why do you boil the water first? > > Thanks > GB > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 - Do you suggest boiling the water first for those of us who have a water filter? Well, I guess it depends on the quality of the filter/machinery. I have a Jupiter Melody and I don't boil the water in preparation for pickling, so far things have been okay. Joni ps - i'm new to the group and have been enjoying the posts/info, thanks. > > > > Why do you boil the water first? > > Thanks > GB > > --- In nutrition , Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 24, 2009 Report Share Posted July 24, 2009 As with all things, you can experiment. I'm sure it does depend on the water and the ferment. I don't always boil it either ... some of our water is artesian or highly filtered. But it's a habit ... And welcome to the group! On Fri, Jul 24, 2009 at 8:05 AM, JONI<jonisare@...> wrote: > - > Do you suggest boiling the water first for those of us who have a water filter? Well, I guess it depends on the quality of the filter/machinery. I have a Jupiter Melody and I don't boil the water in preparation for pickling, so far things have been okay. > Joni > > ps - i'm new to the group and have been enjoying the posts/info, thanks. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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