should my sour pickles be sealed while pickling?
I'm making sour pickles. A lot of recipes say that the lid should be loose or upside down so that the pickles have room to "breath". I keep the jars out, often coming into contact with light from outside.
Does leaving the top on loose pose an increased risk of botulism? I understood that botulism bacteria multiply rapidly in an anaerobic (no air) environment.
The brine is pretty darn salty (1tb : 1cup of water), and it contains no vinegar.
Best Answer
Those pickles create their own acid. Wild bacteria that can handle the very high salt content produce lactic acid, thus preserving the pickles.
Botulism won't grow in that much salt and with how acidic the pickles are going to be when they're done. That's kind of the point of pickling in the first place.
The instructions say to leave the lid loose because the fermentation may also produce gas and it needs to escape. You don't want a half-fermented-sour-pickle bomb to go off in your kitchen.
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Do you have to seal jars of pickles?
Pickles should not be kept on your pantry shelf unless they are canned. This involves heating jars of pickles to temperatures high enough to kill off spoilage microbes\u2014a method known as heat processing. An airtight vacuum seal forms when the jars cool, shutting microbes out.Can you pickle without sealing?
The 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water keeps my vegetables crisp in the fridge, but is also acidic enough that they can be canned safely if I choose to. And don't let a fear of canning slow you down: instead, try making refrigerator pickles-no canning required!How do you seal homemade pickles?
Seal the jars and arrange in potScrew on the rings until they are just hand-tight\u2014don't try to muscle-man tighten the rings. During the boiling process air needs to be able to escape from the jars\u2014if the screw rings are too tight, it will prevent this from happening. Submerge sealed jars into the canner or stock pot.How long do pickles take to seal?
Bring to a boil and process 15 minutes. Remove from the pot and leave at room temperature undisturbed for 12-24 hours. You may hear a pop when the jars fully seal. After 24 hours, check that the seal has formed by pushing down on the center of the lid \u2013 it should not move at all.Fermenting Pickles! || Canning Pickles for Long Term Storage || Preserving Cucumbers
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