Foods 4- 13 (Pickling and Fermenting)FOOD TECHNOLOGY

Pickling

Pickling – the term used fro preserving a food with acid and salt; quick or fresh- pack pickles use vinegar and sugar to create a crisp crunch while fermented pickles sit in a brine for several weeks while flavor develops.

The science behind pickling

Pickling is closely tied to the fermentation process, it’s an ancient way of preserving foods. The early methods of pickling involved soaking in a salt brine and allowing fermenting to take place. In this process, certain types of bacterial growth are encouraged (lactic acid bacteria), and others (the ones that cause food to spoil) are discouraged. It’s a selective process.

During the fermenting process, there’s a delicate balance among the ingredients in the pickling crock, and keeping everything in balance is the key to producing an excellent pickle. Two important players in this production are lactic acid bacteria and salt.

Lactic acid bacteria feed on the sugar contained in cucumbers. This allows the bacteria to grow and multiply and also imparts the familiar “bite” of fermented pickles.

Salt is very important in keeping the balance. It there’s too much salt, lactic acid can’t survive. Too little, and the spoilage bacteria get the fighting edge. With just the right amount, your pickles are perfect.

The temperature needs to stay a fairly constant 70F to 75F to help the lactic acid bacteria stay alive healthy and on the job.

Keep the temperature at the low range of what is optimal, to regulate the speed of fermentation. Slow is best to get the best product.

NOTE: Oxygen is also a spoiler for fermenting pickles, so making sure you’re keeping out the air is essential. Keep the crock tightly covered.

Pickling may be brined, fermented, quick-pack, relishes, and pickled fruits and vegetables.

Brined or fermented pickles

These take the longest to make – a week or longer – but they’re the best. Brining and fermenting are two different processes. Brining uses a saltwater solution in a specific strength to cure the pickles. Afterward, acid must be added (vinegar) as a preservative. Fermenting causes lactic acid bacteria to grow and act as a preservative.

Kosher dill pickles have just enough garlic added to the brine to give them their characteristic texture and flavor.

QUICK-PACK PICKLES

These are quick, no crock is needed, just a large kettle or cooking pot on the stove. You can cure these pickles for a few hours first or move directly to the cooking phase with vinegar and a mix of fresh spices.

Vinegar is the pickling and preserving agent, and to ensure a safe product, it needs to contain 5% acetic acid. These pickles are finished in the boiling water bath.

NOTE: To be safe, always use tested, approved recipes when making pickles. Don’t alter the proportions of ingredients in the recipe and you’ll help prevent the growth of harmful bacteria such as Clostridium botulinum, the bacteria that causes botulism.

Relishes

These are pickles gone bite size. Fresh fruits or vegetables are chopped into small pieces, added to a spicy vinegar solution, and cooked for a short period of time on the stove. Relishes are finished in the boiling water bath.

Equipment and supplies

The first ingredients to consider are the fruits or vegetables you’ll be pickling. If you start with firm, ripe, fresh produce, you’ll be well on your way to a fine pickle. A 7-qt canner needs a 14 lbs cucumber to pickle.

For fermented pickles, you’ll need pickling or kosher salt, a stoneware crock, and a weight (such as a dinner plate to keep the pickles under the brine). The crock should be large enough to hold the pickles and salt with a few inches to spare at the top to accommodate the brine that forms during the fermenting process. A general rule I 1 gallon of space for each 5 pounds of fresh produce.

NOTE: Lime or alum appears frequently as an ingredient in older recipes. They were used as firming agents. Cucumbers need a good ice water soak for 4 to 5 hours before you begin the pickling process and you’ll get crisp pickles without these additives.

For quick-pack pickles, you’ll need pickling or kosher salt, 5% vinegar, sugar, and spices, according to the recipe you’ll be following. Salt you use is important. For picking, choose either kosher or pickling salt. Both are pure, which means they have no additives such as iodine that can turn pickles dark and the pickling liquid cloudy, or anticaking ingredients that keep the salt free-flowing. Kosher salt tends to be coarser than pickling salt.

STORING

The first step is testing the seals within 12 to 24 hours of processing. To do this, you’ll remove the screw band. The jar is sealed if the lid is concave in the center. The lid shouldn’t move when you press on it.

Step two is washing the outside of the jars. That is remove stickiness after processing , and rinsing them in warm water. Wipe with a clean dry towel.

Next, label each lid with the jar’s contents and the date.

Finally, store jars away from sunlight in a cool, dry location. Shelf life of home-canned pickles is about a year.

Before using, check to sure the lid is still sealed. If it’s bugling or any liquid has seeped out, (indicating a poor seal) or if after opening the jar it emits foul odor, mold, foam, questionable texture to the pickles or any kind of movement of the liquid in the jar, dispose of the product without tasting it. Boil for 10 minutes and dispose of the contents in the garbage.

NOTE: Never taste food that you suspect has spoiled.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Hollow Pickles

Start out as a hollow cucumber. This can happen if the cuke didn’t mature properly, was on the vine too long, or sat around on the counter or in the ref waiting to become a pickle. They can be easily spot in the sink, they float. If you’re fermenting pickles and end up with some hollow ones, the fermenting process might have been too quick, or the temperature during fermenting might have been too high.

Soft Pickle

Enzymes responsible for softening are located at the tip, so be sure to slice off the end. If harmful bacteria got a chance to grow during the fermenting process it’s because the salt concentration was too light. Do not cut back on the salt or the acid and be sure the cukes remain covered with brine. Skim off any scum that forms during fermentation as well. Observe proper processing procedure. Seal with boiling water bath .

Dark Pickles

It may be due to spice problem. Use of ground spice instead of whole, used too much (did not follow recipe), or left the whole spices in the pickling solution when you packed the jars,

Splotches and Blotches

Both of these problems are cosmetic. Too much sun can cause skin scalding, and too much time on the vine. Also, keeping the cucumbers in the fridge too long before processing them.

Shriveled Pickles

Use of too much sugar, too much salt, or too much vinegar at the outset and then cook the pickles too much or process them too long, they’ll just shrivel up. Be sure to follow directions exactly.