I have a few questions regarding canning that I have not been able to find answers to. Perhaps you all can help? :)

My latest attempt at canning leaves me a bit concerned. The National Center for Food Preservation does not provide a recipe for Dill Tomatoes and Cucumbers. Therefore, I used the cucumber recipe for the combination because it required more salt as well as sugar (thus contributing to an overall greater - and presumably safer - level of acidity). See recipe: http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_06/quick_dill_pickles.html

My two question are:

1) Is it appropriate to combine cucumbers and tomatoes in this recipe and
2) By adding hot and/or sweet peppers to any of these recipes, am I jeopardizing the necessary level of acidity given that peppers are alkaline?

This latest endeavor also leaves me concerned about my initial canned pickle experiment which also consisted of cucumbers, green tomatoes and peppers, all from my garden. Because I could not find a specific recipe for such, I tried somewhat of a fusion. The ratio for the brine was:

2 quarts distilled water
1 quart 5% distilled white vinegar
1 cup sea salt

I then added chopped garlic, pickling salt, and dill and processed the jars according to standard procedure. As such, does this seem like an appropriate level of acidity or should I not take any chances and discard the first batch?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read through my question!. As an amateur canner, I just want to make sure that I am doing things correctly given the potential for severe consequences!

Best,

Michael McCabe

I believe that's too much water - 1:2 ratio with vinegar, usually 1:1 is the lowest (concentration of vinegar) considered safe, though the quick dill recipe in the link you gave from NCHFP uses 1.5:2. Did you brine the cukes first to draw out the water? How many peppers? Green tomatoes are not a problem, as they are more acidic than cukes and peppers. Fresh garlic and dill will also decrease the acidity.

How long ago did you process these?

I am beginning to think that I've done everything completely wrong! With a bit of effort I am able to laugh though, because this is my first year with a garden and my first year canning so I expected to have several errors!

It just became clear to me that a closer read of the NCHFP recipe shows that I completely ruined the recipe (probably because I did it 12 midnight after working in a kitchen all day :/ No, I never brined the cukes - all I did was soak them in cold water and then I added the cooking salt plus the soaking salt together. As for peppers, I never counted but am learning that exact amounts of each food is important for these sort of recipes...

I processed the NCHFP recipe Wed night and the other batch on July 28th.

Thanks for the help!

Follow-up question:
When making refrigerator pickles, does one need to follow EXACT weight amounts for pickles, tomatoes etc or is it just important to follow the brine recipe?

Not nearly enough vinegar to be considered safe even if refrigerated (3/4 c vinegar to 1 qt. of water) for a brined pickle.

But it does call for 4 T of salt for each quart of water (talk about salty!!) so let's assume it is supposed to be a fermented pickle rather than a brined one. Not sure this author understands they are totally different processes.

That would make the amount of vinegar ok but then they are only fermented out on the counter for "couple of days" (vs. 1 week minimum and 3-4 weeks preferably) so they are not fully fermented, not even half fermented. Then placed in the fridge.

Safe to eat? Maybe. Depends on when you eat them. After a couple of days on the counter they would be safe but wouldn't have much taste except salt. If eaten after 1 week in the fridge they might taste better but still salty and no more fermented or dill then they were (fridge stops fermentation) but very salty and probably softening. Within 3 weeks listeria will begin to grow in them because they weren't fully fermented to begin with and they will begin to get slimy.

You could use the recipe and leave them out on the counter (out of direct sun) for a full week minimum and then taste them to see what you think of all the salt. But personally I'd pass on that recipe and use the NCHFP or the Ball one instead. They are proven to work and be safe to eat.

Dave

I've provided a link below to an excellent document on pickling from Wisconsin Extension. I think it will answer many pickling questions and also provide some excellent recipes. Then you can return with any additional questions.

You are working with low-acid product and you want to avoid problems such as listeria.

Carol

Mike