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Vinegar, Pickles, and Pickling: Cucumbers

A small quantity can be freshened from time to time and freshly pickled as required for use. But this method of laying down pickles is not the one commonly preferred. - To Freshen Cucumbers. After cucumbers have been steeped in brine until they are entirely yellow, and about three days before they are to be done up, lift them carefully from the brine into a clean vessel, cover them with clean cold water and let stand three or four days, changing the water each day or oftener to freshen them.

To Pickle Cucumbers.-Pack the freshened cucumbers in wide-mouthed bottles or jars and pour over them either pure vinegar boiling hot or any desired pickle of spiced vinegar and seal.

Or first pour over them pure vinegar scalding hot and let stand in a warm place until they become green.

Every two or three days pour off the vinegar, reheat it and again pour it over the cucumbers scalding hot; when the color is satisfactory pour off the pure vinegar and cover them with the spiced pickle if desired. But while the above is recommended as a thorough method designed to prepare a high-grade quality of pickles, recommendations of authorities differ very widely and good practice doubtless varies equally as much or more. One authority recommends merely washing cucumbers in salt and water, and immediately bottling and covering them with boiling hot pickle. Another, scalding fresh-picked cucumbers with boiling brine, and when cold draining and at once covering them with boiling vinegar. Another would cover fresh-picked cucumbers at once with boiling vinegar containing a handful of salt, reheating the vinegar every two or three days until they become green, then pickling and sealing. Hence it may be inferred that preserving in brine before pickling is not necesssary, but we prefer to recommend it for reasons already stated.

Authorities also differ as to whether the brine should be cold or heated, and the length of time the cucumbers should be immersed in brine, and also as to whether it is sufficient to cover the cucumbers with scalding vinegar and immediately seal, or preferable to let them stand, reheating the vinegar occasionally to green them. All of these questions must be decided by each person for himself according to the grade of pickles desired, and his willingness to take the necessary pains. In general, it is believed that the slower and more painstaking the process, the better will be the quality of the product.

Utensils for Pickling. It was formerly customary to make pickles in kettles of brass or bell metal in order to give them a bright green color, and also to add more or less alum for the same purpose. But the action of the acetic acid contained in vinegar upon brass and similar metals is to produce a poisonous compound, especially if the pickles are allowed to stand in them until they become cold.

The use of alum is also injurious, and for the same reason cheap earthenware, which is frequently glazed with lead, should not be employed.