Food-grade plastic and glass containers are excellent substitutes. Select a crock that is made for food use. Therefore, a 5-gallon stoneware crock is an ideal size for fermenting about 25 pounds of fresh cabbage or cucumbers. Equipment for Fermenting CrockĪ 1-gallon container is needed for each 5 pounds of fresh vegetables. It is critical to add enough vinegar to prevent bacterial growth (see Quick (unfermented) pickles are made in 1 or 2 days by adding acid in the form of vinegar.Acid is produced as lactic acid bacteria grow. During this period, colors and flavors change. ěrined (fermented) pickles require several weeks of “curing” at room temperature.That is why pickling (adding acid) prevents spoilage. When the acidity of a canned food is high, harmful bacteria such as Clostridium botulinum cannot grow. Proper home canning prevents the growth of the microorganisms that cause spoilage and illness. Many of these procedures are still used today. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had published instructions on making pickles at home. Pickles even became part of our folklore, as children learned to recite the “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers” tongue twister. Pickled products also appeared early in America, and the pickle barrel was common during the colonial days. By the first century CE, the Romans were pickling. The Chinese were fermenting vegetables as early as the third century BCE. Pickling is one of the oldest methods of food preservation. Look for signs of spoilage before using pickled products.Do not process brined pickles before they taste tart.Follow instructions for conventional processing or use lower-temperature pasteurization.Do not reduce the amount of vinegar or increase the amount of water in recipes.Use the amounts and types of ingredients specified in laboratory-tested recipes.Select tender vegetables without blemishes or mold.
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