PICKLING – The Basics:

In pickling, as in any other method of preservation, it is important that the vegetables used should be in a fresh condition. After first preparations, such as removing outer leaves and cutting the larger vegetables into suitable pieces, the vegetables should be either placed in a brine made from 1 lb. salt 453g. Salt to 1 gallon of water or sprinkled liberally with salt and left for 12 – 48 hours. If the vegetables are placed in brine they should be kept under the liquid as much as possible by weighing down, and drained thoroughly before use. If dry salt is used the vegetables should be placed in layers in a porcelain basin with a good sprinkling of salt between each layer.

The vegetables should be removed from the salt, rinsed in cold water and drained thoroughly. The time necessary for brining or salting is given in the pickling recipes. After brining, the drained vegetables are packed into clean jars to within 1 inch of the top; if any water has settled at the bottom of the jar during packing it should be drained off before the jars are filled with cold spiced vinegar, which should cover the vegetables by at least ½ inch.(1.27 cms.)

During storage there is a certain amount of evaporation of the vinegar, and if the vegetables are not well covered at the outset those at the top of the jar are left uncovered after some weeks and become very badly discoloured. When the vinegar has been poured on, the jars should be sealed as tightly as possible. All the lids sold on the website have a plastic coating on the underside making them vinegar proof.

Vinegars

The best vinegar should be used for pickling and it should have an acetic acid content of at least 5 per cent. White vinegar gives a better appearance, but malt vinegar may give a better flavour to pickles.

Spiced Vinegar

The best results are obtained when the spices can be steeped in the unheated vinegar for 1-2 months with occasional shaking of the bottle. In this way the full flavour is extracted.

When spiced vinegar is wanted quickly, the vinegar and spices should be put in a basin standing in a saucepan of water. It is important to have a plate on the basin otherwise much of the flavour is lost. The water is brought to boiling point and the pan then removed from the heat and the spices allowed to steep in the warm vinegar for 2 hours. The vinegar is then strained and ready for use. Experience has shown that cold vinegar gives better results when pickling vegetables which should be kept crisp, such as cabbage, onion, etc., while hot vinegar proves better for the softer types of pickles such as walnuts, plums etc.

The following are suitable quantities to add to each quart (2 pints) of vinegar:

¼ oz (7g.) cinnamon bark
¼ oz. (7g.) mace
¼ oz.(7g.) cloves
¼ oz. (7g.) whole allspice

Herb and Tarragon Vinegar

A wide-mouthed bottle should be half filled with freshly-gathered leaves picked just before the herb flowers. The jar should be filled with the best vinegar and stoppered. The herbs should be allowed to steep for not less than 14 days before use.

Fruit-flavoured Vinegars

These are usually made from soft fruits such as blackberries or raspberries. To each pound of ripe fruit add one pint of best malt vinegar, place in a china bowl, coverwith a cloth and allow to stand for 3-5 days, stirring occasionally. Strain off the liquid, add 1 lb. of granulated sugar to each pint, boil for 10 min. and bottle. Sugar may be omitted from the recipe and the vinegar sweetened when used if preferred.