Pickled cucumber going off

[redser]

Hi, it's my first year preserving anything. I pickled some cucumber a few weeks ago and just noticed today that there's a cloudy something at the bottom of the jar. I havn't opened it yet and everything above looks fine. Just wondering if anyone knows is this bad or ok? Is it just some sort of sediment or is it going off?
Thanks a lot

[Jeanied]

That looks normal to me - some of mine look like that. As long as you used the right amount of vinegar you should be fine.

[rustylady]

Looks OK to me. What recipe did you use?

[redser]

Thanks that's a relief. I just used malt vinegar. Next year I'll make up some spiced vinegar. I put the sliced cucumber in salt for a few hours then rinsed it and dried it.
Is there a right amount of vinegar to use? I was wondering if I packed them in too tightly.
Thanks!

[rustylady]

As long as your vinegar covers the cucumber it should be fine.

[veggiechicken]

The important thing is to ensure that your cucumber is really dry before going into the vinegar as any water will dilute the strength of the vinegar.

[redser]

Thanks to both of you

[jerryernst]

Please help with these pickles!

I'm not sure where to post this, so I figured I might as well reply to this related thread. I made these pickles a while ago and I have no idea what this sediment is.
I usually throw pickles like this out as I'm not sure if they are safe and I'm sick of it happening. From what I've been reading it could be anything. I used a mostly vinegar solution and I washed the jar/lid. I boiled the vinegar, spices and little bit of water together, then poured over the pickles. The seal isnt broken so it is air tight as far as I know. It has been in my cabinet for a few weeks now and it doesnt seem like this stuff is "growing". I used morton kosher salt, but this doesnt look like salt sediment i've seen in some other pictures. PLEASE HELP!!!

[PyreneesPlot]

Looks fine to me (although it may leak if you store it on its side like that ) The vinegar is very clear, not at all cloudy which can happen when it goes off.
And welcome to the Vine - I guess from the expression Kosher salt that you are across the Pond?

[finefencer]

I understand your frustration as it happened to me to.
Because they were in vinegar there should be no problem, but on opening a jar.....they were rubbish.
Soft and mushie...not worth the effort.
There is some thing that the experts are keeping away from us. Gherkins in a jar, sliced or whole are lovely.....so how do they do it?

[roitelet]

One of the important things with most pickles is to brine them before pickling. Dry or wet brining removes a lot of water from the veg and reduces the dilution of the vinegar. It also keeps the veg crispy. Spiced vinegar will sometimes throw a sediment but that is only the spice residue.

[vixylix]

It looks like salt to me but I am no expert. What happens if you shake it?

As others have said as long as you have sufficient vinegar content and the jar is sterile you should have no problems.

I pickled 4 jars of courgettes this year - all exactly the same and done at the same time... 3 of them were lovely and one of them went a bit brown and cloudy and weird - I ate some of them and they were fine, but then wimped out and threw the rest away - who knows what went wrong!?

Sometimes with these things instinct is your best judge

[boatsman]

You could make instant pickles instead of the normal way of pickling. I have done this for years. I use the small pickling cucumbers, I don't know if they are gherkins or not. I wash the cucumbers, cut off both ends and slice them. I use cucumbers as small as I can obtain. I have never left the small cucumbers whole but I imagine the end result would be the same. I place the cucumbers in a large stainless steel saucepan, don't use aluminium. Then I peel and slice up thinly a large onion and add to the cucumbers. I then add 5% acetic acid in the ratio of one part of acetic acid to two parts of cold water to cover the cucumbers. I then throw in about half a dozen bay leaves. you can also add a few peeled cloves of garlic if you wish. Then add a tablespoon of sugar and half a tablespoon of salt. Cover the saucepan, preferably with a glass lid and boil on a medium gas until the cucumbers change colour from green to a sort of khaki colour. Shut off the gas and leave to cool, or you can pour them while still hot into prepared Kilner jars. I don't know how long you can store them as mine are just stored in the fridge and finished within a fortnight.

[lolie]

I used a mostly vinegar solution and I washed the jar/lid. I boiled the vinegar, spices and little bit of water together, then poured over the pickles.

Did you sterilise the jars and lids?

What proportion of water to vinegar did you use?