Instructions: Salt to use: use only pickling or Dairy salt, it is free from additives which might deter porcessing or cloud liquid. Is using garlic as a seasoning, blanch it 2 minutes before adding it to other ingredients, or remove it from the jar before sealing. Water used should be soft. If the water contains iron or sulphur compounds the pickles will become dark. You can use distilled water. Vinegar should test 5% to 6% acetic acid.

Distilled white vinegar gives the lightest color. Cider-based malt and herb flavored vinegars, although they yield a richer flavor, will darken pickles. Do not use Homemade wine vinegars - as they have uncertain strength and the vinegar will "Mother".
* to make pickles crisp use grape or cherry leaves during brining. Or, in short brine pickles, after the brining period, soak the pickles for 2 hours in enough of the following lime water solution to cover. Allow: -1 Tablespoon calcium oxide to 1 quart of soft water Stir will, and after stirring allow the solution to settle. Use only the clear portion of the liquid to cover the pickles.

After the 2 hour soaking, drain and cover with the hot pickling liquid as directed. Alum is not recommended for crisping, as just a trifle too much may make the pickles bitter. -About Short-Brine Pickling Most homemade pickles are of the less exacting short-brine type. They are soaked in a salt solution only 24 hours or so . This bringing period is sufficiently long to draw out moisture, but not long enough to induce the fermentation needed for adequate keeping.. An essential furtherstep, afterdraining off the brine, is to pour over the produce a hot vinegar solution which penetrates the softened vegetable tissue and so preserves it. Although in the short-brine process, the hot vinegar also tends to firm the produce, itis advisabl, for greater crispness, to add to the jars a few fresh grape or sherry leaves, or to use the lime water process described above.

Firmness in pickled produce contributes both to its KEEPING and eating qualities. -Pickling Spices: Generally contains such ingredients as mustard seed, cinnamon, allspice, bay leaf, black pepper, giner, red pepper, cardamom, tumeric, and mace. We also know that the french use tarragon with their cornichons - we use dill and garlic etc. The spice blend for pickles are specific to the type of pickle you are preparing.

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