The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1921-09-30
PICKING TINE

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me in regard to the making of pickles
How can pickles be made firm ant
crisp as a commercial make. The 1ol'
lowing recipe is rather long pro
cess but guaranteed to be satisfac
tory.
SALT PICKLES
Use a 4 gal. jar for every u lbs. OF
a bu. of cucumbers, wash, pack in the
lar and cover with ats. OF the III pei
Z cent brine solution. IL made IN me
morning that evening add more san
"a the rate OF 10. to every 10 lbs. Of
cucumbers which in this case would
make l 10. and 3 OF. This necessary
in order TO maintain the strength OF
the brine. Cover with a round board
or plate and on top of this place Q
weight heavy enough to keep the Gu
cumbers we'll below the surface. Al
the end of one week, and for each sue
caeding week for five weeks add TN
this easel Ia ID salt. In adding ssit
always place 1t on the cover. A scum
made up usually of wild yeasts anu
molds. form on the surface. 9hls
sbould he removed by skimming as !
will destroy the acidity OF the brine.
Clean. water-tight barrels should De
used for making larger quantities.
They should be scalded with I've ana
thoroughly rinsed. With a barrel mold
ing as gal. proceed as follows; Put IN
10 the barrel from s to inches OF
40 per cent brine solution. To this
brine add a quart of good vinegar. into
this place the cucumbers as they are
gathered. The cucumbers should De
weighed each time before adding Al
ter the cover and stone have been re-
placed add TO the brine ID. OF salt
for every 10 lbs. of Cucumbers addei.
If the cucumbers are not added 100
rapidly It will be unnecessary to ada
more brine, for when sufhcient
weight Is maintained on the cover the
cucumbers make their own brine w.
however, the cucumbers ere added
rapidly or II the barrel be filled al
once, more brine will be REQUIRED. In
such a case add "A sufficient amount
OF the 10 per cent brine
When the barrel Is full add lbs. OF
salt each week for weeks II lbs. TO
a AZ gal. barrel). In adding the salt
place II on the cover Added In this
way II goes into the solution slowly.
insuring a brine % uniform strength
throughout and gradually increasing
salt concentration. Thus shriyeling ot
the pickles is prevented to great ex-
tent and growth and activity OF the
Tactic bacteria are not seriously
checked. Stirring or agitation OF the
brine is not advisable and may be
harmful for the reason that
the introduction OF air bulb
bles is conductive 10, the growth
of spOilage bacteria. The scum which
is formed from time 20 time should be
removed II the cucumbcrs are kept
under the brine and salt is added In
the proportion indicated. IL viii not
he necessary to exclude the air or seal
in any way. They should keep indct.
nitely A proper cugng requires from
6 weeks to two months and possibly
longer. After a partial soaking in
water to remove excess Of salt these
cucumbers may be eaten as salt pick
les. Many prefer them in this form.
Most people, however, like them bet
ter after they have been given an ad-
ditional treatment I'm vinegar alone, or
in vinegar combined with sugar and
spices. Whatever the Nnal disposition.
pickles are best after they receive this
perfect curing In brine. For removing
the salt place the pickles in "A suit
able vessel cover them with water and
heat slowly about 100 degrees f., DO
not boil. keep on the back Of the stove
or up In the flreless cooker about 10
hours. The water Is then poured or
and the process repeated. The mum
her OF times depends upon the size Of
the pickle and can only be told by
tasting After processing, the pickles
should be sorted You will probably I
have three sizes, small, medium ana
large. If intended for bottling. only
the small sizes are selected. Use the
small sweet pickles and the larger
ones for sour and dill pickles Imper-
feet ones can be cut up into mixed
pickle
SOUR PICKLES
After pickles have been freshened I.
sufficiently. drain them well. cover
them at once with clear vinegar about
TO per cent acidity.
SWEET PICKLES
In order to make sweet pickles the
pickles are covered with sweetened I
vinegar with the addition OF spices /.
The amount OF sugar may vary from !
A to 10 lbs. TO the gallon. Six his. TO |
the gallon usually gives satisfactory
results. The chief difficulty In max
ing sweet pickles is due to the fact
that they often become shriveled and
tough. This is best avoided by COW
ering the pickles first with the vino
gar and adding the sugar about 10
DAYS later, or lbs. OF sugar TO the
gallon may be used and II You wish
them sweeter more sugar can be add
ed about ten days later. Spices should
not be used in too large quantities as
II is injurious to the system and
stomach. / on. OF mixed spices to
gal. of pickles is sufficient. AS spices
may cause couldiness In the pickles
they should be filtered out after the
desired flavor has been obtained. Add
the spices to the vinegar. hold al the
boiling point about half an hour, then
remove.