The Secret to Making Deliciously Crispy Homemade Pickles
There is nothing like crispy, tasty, fresh marinade, whether you prefer kosher, semi-sour, or sweet. But for your pickle to be crispy and crunchy, you need to start with a cucumber – a crunchy pickle requires a crunchy cucumber and nothing less will work. Here’s how to make sure you have the best.
First, our friends at Old World Garden Farms point out that timing is everything, especially if you grow your own pickles:
The best time to pick cucumbers is early in the morning (before 9 am), but not earlier than the morning dew has left the plant.
The time of day when you harvest your vegetables affects the taste and the keeping quality of the crop. Vegetables harvested in the morning are usually sweeter, crunchier, and juicier than those harvested at other times. This is because when vegetables are resting in the garden during the night, they tend to replenish moisture lost during the day. Picking in the middle of the day will produce soft cucumbers that make soft pickles.
Second, they also point out that you should cut off the tip of the flower as soon as possible – it produces an enzyme that speeds up the softening process after it is plucked. If you collect your own, you can identify the end of the flower because it is the one that does not have a stem. If you’re in a farmer’s market or grocery store, look for an end with a rough, jagged point rather than a smooth one with a notch, and you’ll know which end to cut off first.
Of course, you should also make sure you have the right pickles for your pickles. They explain the difference between salad and pickled varieties:
When it comes to pickling, there is a big difference between pickling cucumbers and salad dressing. First, most pickles are shorter and thinner than salad cucumbers. They have a small seed pith and tend to have thick and uneven skin. They are generally more crunchy and therefore produce crispy pickles when used correctly.
Beyond that, make sure you are using good pickling spices (and posting at the link below will show you how) and that you are not recycling your new pickles. For more explanations on any of them – and a great step-by-step guide – click on the link below.
Secrets of making crispy pickles | Garden Farms of the Old World