- Start with a pickling cucumber variety
- Pick at the optimum stage of ripeness
- Handle expeditiously after picking
- Wash dirt off of pickles. Toss any with signs of rot.
- Cut 1/2" off each end to eliminate reservoir of enzymes that speed ripening
- Increase calcium content of pickles
Increase Calcium content by adding food-grade calcium chloride or pickling lime + vinegar to the pickling liquid. For dill pickles, 15 grams-to-30 grams of calcium chloride per gallon of pickling liquid is the suggested range. For sweet pickles, 7-to-15 grams per gallon. For refrigerator pickles, 3-to-7 grams per gallon.
For the adventurous, Magnesium content can also be used (alone or with Calcium) to increase crispness. Magnesium has a bitter taste that may not be appreciated by some people but others find attractive. Seawater has three times more magnesium than calcium, by weight.
Traditionally, alum has been used to make pickles crunchy but elevated aluminum levels in the brain have been correlated with dementia although causality has not been proven. Consequently, many people are leery of using alum in cooking.
In addition, calcium acetate (vs. chloride) and potassium (a component in low-sodium, salt substitutes) have been shown to increase pickle crispness. The difference between the acetate form and the chloride form might be attributed to the pH buffering effects which keep the final pH above 4.0 for the acetate.
I make a calcium acetate solution as a fertilizer supplement applied as a foliar feed, all you have to do is soak oven-toasted eggshells in vinegar. Wouldn’t be hard to add to a pickling brine.
ReplyDeleteHow does the calcium affect people with a tendency to kidney stones? It runs in men in my family although so far at least I haven't been affected.
ReplyDeleteYou could add Ball pickle crisp powder according to directions on package!
ReplyDeleteGrape leaves will crisp 'em up. Oak leaves too. Two per pint jar.
ReplyDelete