I forgot the recipe... :)

Here is a link that might be useful: recipe

hubby gives them 24 hrs, if he can. of course the taste will be better the longer they sit. We don't use that recipe, but packaged mixes from Mrs. Wages.

This post was edited by myfamilysfarm on Thu, Sep 26, 13 at 14:13

1) 6 weeks minimum recommended, 3 months is better to allow the vinegar to mellow out and the flavors to blend

2) depends on the recipe and the pH. The more vinegar the higher the pH and the longer the shelf life. With this particular recipe approx. 3 months, maybe a bit longer.

Dave

Some of Linda Z's recipes in Joy of Pickling recommend 3 weeks, I don't know about a quick dill but I know B&B was. If they're calling your name you might pop open a jar then, if you just can't wait the 6 weeks.

Thanks to everyone for the advise. I'll probably give them a little more time to sit before I open them up. Always appreciate the advise!

If you like dill pickles, you really really need to try these. They're the old time salt pickles, also known as half sours, full sours, deli pickles, refrigerator pickles, lacto fermented pickles, and I don't know what else they may be called, but they're NOT intended to be processed by canning. They'll keep in the fridge in their prime for about six maybe eight weeks (depending on the quality and how fresh they were when pickled), after that the texture begins to get soft because the fermentation process is still ongoing (you're eating live food when you eat these pickles).

You need as fresh as possible pickling cukes; best to bring them straight in from the garden and immediately pickle them.

Select the appropriate sized clean jar(s) to hold the cukes,, not necessary to sterilize but do so if you wish.

Sacrifice a small cuke and dice fine, smash, pound, pulverize into the bottom of the jar; make it's juices flow.

Garlic cloves do the same, about 6-8 per qt; not necessary to peel the cloves but do so if you wish.

Whole peppercorns 1 tsp per qt.

Dill, IF you want. I'm a dill pickle lover but I actually prefer this very simple delicious recipe without dill now. Dill is not necessary to make a good pickle.

Pack washed WHOLE cukes TIGHTLY into the jars with the intent to keep them all submerged in the brine.

Salt, NOT iodized, 1 TBSP per qt. No whey required, the crushed cucumber & garlic supplies the necessary bacteria to start the ferment.

Water, over the top enough to submerge everything, agitate jar to mix things around some, let it sit for TWO days then stick it in the fridge for one more day, and then enjoy. They'll keep getting better for the next two weeks (if you like pickles, trust me, these won't last long

Cukes, garlic, black peppercorns, salt, is really all you need to make an outstanding deli pickle. Don't let the simplicity of this recipe fool you, they're great.

I grew Burpee Picklebush this year (I've got a second planting in bloom now) and I was very pleased with the quality of pickle I get from it. But I NEVER pick cukes until I'm ready to bring them in and immediately put them up. Freshness is everything in making a good salt pickle.

This post was edited by sidhartha0209 on Sat, Aug 17, 13 at 3:32

Wow that is a very low salt brine. Only a 1.8% brine? That is considered a very marginal safe brine at best.

And how would you prevent the growth of listeria keeping them that long? Listeria grows even in the fridge.

Sorry, it is your choice of course, but this sounds like one of those old time family-type recipes that haven't been recommended for use for decades.

Dave

"Wow that is a very low salt brine. Only a 1.8% brine? That is considered a very marginal safe brine at best."

I'm not going to buck against the extreme caution with food preservation exhibited on this site, I suppose liability concerns are the driving factor behind it; it is a litigious society that we live in. One TBSP salt per qt is the norm for many fermenters; with the essential consideration being to obtain as rapid a ferment as possible.

But I do have a couple sincere questions:

1. Is it the salt, or is it the lantibiotics in fermented foods that preserves against, and kills listeria?

2. For the home gardener growing their own vegetables and fruit, where exactly does the threat of listeria contamination come from?

digdirt"
"...this sounds like one of those old time family-type recipes that haven't been recommended for use for decades."

Decades? Could you cite your source for making this claim?

"Presented at the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, NV, July 14, 2004..... Recommendations to prepare this product in the home should not be distributed "