Problem storing Kosher Dill pickles
I have been putting up Kirby cucumbers following Grandma's recipe for over 30 years using just 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, garlic, spices, dill, alum and water (NO VINEGAR). I'm using dishwasher-cleaned wide-mouth Ball Quart jars stuffed with the ingredients above.
After boiling new lids and rings, my husband sealed them as tight as he could and we immediately put them in a crawl space for 6 weeks to 10 months before opening each jar.
This worked like a charm in the midwest. Since moving into an apartment in CA we have struggled to find a basement or crawl space to store opened jars, so I put all 26 quarts in my second refrigerator.
It's been a couple of weeks now, and I'm worried about fermentation and storage for the rest of the "pickling time." Will my cucumbers still "pickle" in the refrigerator (turned up to 46 degrees?)
Can I remove them to store in an above-ground dark closet or above-ground crawl-space at friends after having been in refrigerator for these weeks or longer?
Note that we're having a heat wave right now.
Best Answer
Pickles will ferment at around 65 - 72F The temperature can go lower overnight but needs to rise during the day. Get a thermometer to test places like cupboards, kitchen for the temperature range you need. This worked for me. I keep a strip thermometer with my stash.
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How do you store kosher dill pickles?
Store the jars in a dark, cool place. I recommend six weeks of standing time for the flavors to fully develop. For best quality, the pickles should be used within one year. And just like that, you have seven beautiful jars of Favorite Kosher Dill Pickles!Do kosher dill pickles need to be refrigerated?
If you encountered a great deal on pickles at your grocery store, you might be wondering\u2014do pickles need to be refrigerated? Most unopened pickles don't need refrigeration. However, it's best to refrigerate unpasteurized pickles regardless of whether you opened the jar since it will slow down the fermentation process.How long can you leave dill pickles unrefrigerated?
Pickles left out for more than two hours (including overnight) should be thrown away according to the official USDA recommendations for all foods requiring refrigeration. However, due to their acidic brine, pickles left out overnight may be less likely to actually cause food poisoning than other non-acidic foods.How long can you keep kosher dill pickles in the refrigerator?
How long do opened dill pickles last in the refrigerator? Dill pickles that have been continuously refrigerated will generally stay at best quality for about 1 year.Kosher Dill Pickles | Kenji's Cooking Show
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Answer 2
Like the other response said, keep your jars out in a warm spot in your home. I am in California too. Ferments do really well at 72 degrees and over. The colder your temperature, your ferment will take longer. Like CA winters can be cold, relatively, and my pickles and green tomatoes take a over month and a half for full sour. In the summers, I can turn out full sours in three weeks. Placing ferments in a refrigerator will slow fermentation down tremendously. Ferment at room temp, on counter, not in direct light, preferably covered so the light does not get through. Lastly, I cant see how you stored these jars for so long without tending to them by releasing the gases created from the ferment. I know for me, within the 3 day to 7 Day time you have a lot of gases being produced and they may need to be burped. Once you have tasted a pickle from your jar and determined it is ready to eat, place as many as you can in the refrigerator to slow ferment. Embrace the warmth its what your yeast enjoys !
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