|
| So I just opened my first batch of pickles ever. I did a bunch of extra peppers I had in the fridge. They taste great, the only problem is, the canning method basically half-cooked my peppers. Between being soaked in boiling brine for a few minutes and then having the filled jars exposed to 15 minutes of boiling during the canning process, they went semi-soft. I don't get it, how do I get crisp peppers when the hot water bath canning method basically cooks the jars? |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| First, would need to know what recipe you used to determine if the problem was with the recipe itself or the methods used. For example, many recipes call for only 10 min. processing. Second, doing BWB processing, when new to doing it, can result in over-processing. For example starting with cold water in the pot ends up with much longer processing times than 180 degree water. Stoves can also drag out processing times by taking far too long to bring the water up to boiling. Third, processing pints rather than quarts makes a big difference. Especially with peppers. Fourth, use Pickle Crisp to off-set most of the softening effect that results from over-processing. So let's start with the specific recipe used please. Dave |
|
| Hello, I believe I used 1 part vinegar, 1 part brine. The brine was like 2/3 cup pickling salt to 16 cups of water. I put in 1/4 tsp pickle crisp into each jar and I did use quarts, not pints. I used fresh bay leaves and the ball seasoning mix as the flavoring. Yeah, the jars sat for a while in the hot brine while waiting for the bwb water to heat up. Then they processed for 15 minutes... Basically cooking my peppers. |
|
| I will put the safety issues of that recipe for canning aside. That is your risk to choose. Is this a recipe you made up yourself? It is apparently some sort of attempt to combine fermentation with quick pack pickling? Very weird. How did you know what processing time to use? Based on the info then the over-processing came from "the jars sat for a while in the hot brine while waiting for the bwb water to heat up". Have no idea why you set the jars in "hot brine" but if your BWB water had already been heated to just below boiling (180 degrees) before you even filled the jars with the peppers and hot liquid then the jars could have gone right into the BWB and processed for 10 mins. It would have easily cut 10-15 mins. or more off the heat exposure they got. I'd suggest a review of the Pickling Guidelines at NCHFP. I linked them below. Dave |
Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Pickling Guidelines
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Harvest Forum
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- Please review our Rules of Play before posting.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising policy!
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here
