Time to Make Pickles!

1. Time to Make Pickles! Lunch & Learn 12 noon to 1 pm August 6, 2013

2. Audio Setup Computer (VoIP) Audio Phone Audio 1 1 Click on the Audio Setup Wizard button in the Audio & Video Panel. Click on the blue telephone icon in the Audio & Video Panel. 2 2 Dial the telephone number and PIN provided. Click to talk. 3 A icon by your name means your mic is on.

3. Need Help with Today’s Program? • Help Desk: 800-442-4614 • Phone in to today’s program • Toll:  630-424-2356 • Toll Free:  855-947-8255 • Passcode:  6774570# • Program will be archived: www.foodsafety.wisc.edu/preservation.html

4. Resources • Homemade Pickles and Relishes (UWEX) http://www.foodsafety.wisc.edu/preservation.html Including family favorites: bread and butter, dilly beans, beet pickles, marinated mushrooms, spiced apple rings, and more! • How Do I…Ferment, Pickle www.uga.edu/nchfp Dill pickles, sauerkraut and yogurt; cucumber, fruit or vegetable pickles PLUS pickles for special diets (no-sugar added and reduced-sodium) • Ball canning online www.freshpreserving.com • Bread and Butter Pickles* • Kosher Dill Pickles* • And…pickles as an appetizer in Cuban Pickle Bites (beer battered, bacon-wrapped fried pickles) *Use Ball seasoning packets which should not negatively impact safety.

5. Safely Making Pickles at Home • Low-acid vegetables of all kinds can be safely canned in a boiling water canner and stored on the shelf if proper acid is present. • We can add the acid (quick pickles) or allow acid to be produced naturally over time (fermented pickles) • Traditional fermented or crock pickles • Lactic acid is produced during fermentation • Fresh or quick pickles • Vinegar (acetic acid) is added

6. Fermented (Crock) Pickles Bacteria Cucumbers + Salt Genuine Dills • Salt selects for the right kind of bacteria & keeps the spoilage bacteria at bay • Bacteria convert sugar to lactic acid • Over time, enough acid is produced to ensure safety & a tangy flavor 68-72°F • Tips for success: • Remove and discard 1/16th inch slice from blossom end of fresh cucumbers to preserve texture • Use only a tested recipe and never alter proportions of vinegar, food, and water • Use only vinegar with 5% acetic acid

7. Key concepts in making safe, delicious crock pickles • Add the right amount, and type, of salt • Use a clean, food-grade container • Don’t use a landscape planter, a plastic garbage bag, a heavily pitted crock, or a galvanized steel or iron bucket! • Place crock at a temperature best for bacteria to grow and ferment sugar to acid • Below 60° - fermentation will slow or stall • Above 78° - it’s too warm for fermentation and spoilage takes over

8. More key concepts • Cover the crock to seal out air, help bacteria growth, and keep spoilage at bay. B sure to skim skum. • Traditional – an inverted plate with a weight on top • Modern – a food-grade plastic bag filled with brine ½ C. salt + ¼ C. vinegar + 8 cups of water • Use very fresh cucumbers, wash well and remove thin slice from blossom end • The use of alum is not recommended OLD NEW

9. After the fermentation… • After 3-4 weeks, you’ll know when the pickles are ready….by tasting! • Heat process pickles for storage (best) or move them to the refrigerator (2nd best) • Prepare fresh brine, heat, pour over cukes and process in a boiling water canner, OR • Heat fermentation brine to boiling and fill jars packed with cukes; process in a boiling water canner • Never use an oven or dishwasher to ‘can’ your pickles

10. Sauerkraut and more on fermentation • Shredding of cabbage allows salt to draw out the juice (and sugar!) for successful fermentation. • At this time, no tested recipes exist for safe fermentation of carrots, beets, greens or other vegetables…only cucumbers and cabbage. • A heat treatment after fermentation is important to stabilize the product, otherwise texture will deteriorate. • Do not use salt substitutes in fermented products. Rinsing prior to eating reduces salt level dramatically. • Hollow pickles usually result from a delay from harvest to processing.

11. Pickles in a ‘flash’ – Quick Process Pickles Adding acid allows us to make pickles from a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. For safe, high quality products: • Use high quality ingredients. Select fresh, firm fruits and vegetables for pickling. Discard spoiled or damaged produce. • Use varieties designed for canning/pickling, e.g. ‘pickling’ cukes • Make it fresh! For best quality, pickle fruits or vegetables within 24 hours of harvest, or refrigerate for no more than a few days. • Use only 5% acetic acid vinegar. White or cider vinegar can be used interchangeably; do not use wine vinegars or homemade vinegar. Do not use lemon juice.

12. More on pickling ingredients… • Sugar in quick pickles helps firm texture and provides flavor. Use brown and white sugar interchangeably. If using sugar substitutes, choose recipes designed for success. • Splenda: no-sugar added cantaloupe pickles, sweet cucumber slices or pickled beets • http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/diet_pick.html • Use whole spices for great flavor and best quality. Hint: freeze dill heads so they are ready when your cucumbers are! • Lime (calcium hydroxide), traditionally used to firm pickles,is used as an initial soak onlyand excess must be rinsed off before canning.

13. ‘Other’ Vegetable Pickle Recipes: A-Z • Artichoke(Jerusalem artichoke or sunchoke) • Asparagus • Beets (including no-sugar added with Splenda) • Brussels sprouts • Dilly beans and corn relish • Mushrooms, peppers, and green tomatoes! • Zucchini can be substituted for cucumbers in many quick-process recipes. Try bread and butter zucchini slices (p.40) or zucchini relish (p.49).

14. Canning Fruit Pickles • Even though most fruits are naturally high in acid, use only tested recipes for canned, pickled fruit. • Melons are not acidic and acid is critical for safe canning. • Try these family favorite recipes for another way to preserve fruit: spiced apple rings, spiced crabapples, watermelon rind pickles.

15. Don’t Forget • Use an up-to-date tested recipe. Now is not the time to be creative! • Follow the recipe carefully, including a processing step. Pay attention to jar sizes. Use 2-piece lids. • Adjust for elevation. • Use a boiling water canner for safety and quality. *Note: darker areas on the state map have an elevation above 1,000 feet. Increase time when boiling water canning.

16. FAQ: Pickles • What causes my pickles to have a bitter flavor? • What causes canned pickles to shrivel? • Why do my canned foods turn brown or fade? • Can I use a salt substitute in my crock pickles? • What causes a white sediment to form in my jars of pickles? • The garlic in my dill pickles turned blue, are they safe to eat? • How long do I process my pickled eggs in a boiling water canner?

17. FAQ: Pickles • What causes my pickles to have a bitter flavor? Cucumber pickles can have a bitter flavor if the cucumber were grown in hot, dry weather. For other pickles, the use of salt substitute or cooking too long with a spice bag can also cause strong flavors to develop. • What causes canned pickles (cucumbers, green beans, etc) to shrivel? Cucumbers or green beans are prone to shriveling if placed in too strong a salt brine or too strong a vinegar solution. If following a tested recipe and this happens, there is nothing you can do. Hot weather can contribute to shriveling on canning.

18. FAQ: Pickles • Why do my canned foods turn discolor or fade? Discoloration of pickles can be due to use of cooper, aluminum or brass pots when brining or cooking. Use stainless steel or glass pots and utensils when working with acidic foods like pickles. Let your senses be your guide: When in doubt, throw it out! • Can I use a salt substitute in my crock pickles? The safety to crock (fermented) pickles relies on the proper kind and amount of salt. This means the use of canning salt. Always follow a tested recipe. You can rinse pickles (or sauerkraut) before serving and reduce the sodium content by about ⅓. Or check-out the two recipes in the UWEX bulletin for low sodium quick-process pickles.

19. FAQs: Pickles • What causes a white sediment to form in my jar of pickles? Cloudiness or a sediment in pickles can most often be linked to the use of hard water, powdered spices, or table salt. If cucumbers are not fresh when canned, the natural cuticle can break down and cause sediment to form. If a tested recipe was followed, the pickles are safe to eat. • The garlic in my dill pickles turned blue, are they safe to eat? Yes, this is a natural reaction between the acid in the brine and the garlic. The pickles are perfectly safe to eat. • How long do I process pickled eggs? There are no approved recipes for canning pickled eggs (and leaving them on the shelf). Pickled eggs must be kept refrigerated.

20. No approved recipe? Just because Aunt Mary’s pickle recipe isn’t approved, don’t give up (yet)…. • Untested recipes can be prepared and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Do not store on the counter. • Remember, just because you found a recipe on the web, saw it on Martha Stewart’s show or printed in your favorite magazine, does not mean it has been tested for safety. Use only up-to-date, tested recipes for safe home canning. • Try freezer pickled products for a tasty treat!

21. Next…in our Lunch & Learn Series August 19, 2013 12 noon to 1 pm Drying Foods at Home Wondering what to do with those few onions, tomatoes, carrots, and mushrooms? Try dehydrating them to create a flavorful, salt-free seasoning mix for soups, or to use to flavor pasta or bread. And consider dried fruit for a healthy snack for hungry kids home from school.