Pickled Onions - Dry or Wet Brine?

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

Pickled Onions - Dry or Wet Brine?

Which way do you do it? Which way results in crispier pickles? Do you use standard cooking salt?

Unrelated, does or has anyone salted runner beans?

Thanks

[binley100]

I use a wet brine and mine are crunchy......

Salted runners.....my mum used to do , need loads and loads of rinsing and then some more

[roitelet]

Dry brine and they are still crunchy, so either is fine. Did salted runners once and couldn't get the salt out!!!!!!!!!!! Compost.

[mrswadders]

I pour wet brine over unpeeled onions and leave overnight, peel, rinse and dry, pack in jars pour over spiced vinegar (add a couple of chillis and pickling spices if you want really hot,hot,hot onions!) Works everytime and lovely crispy onions for months!

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

Thank you for the replies.

Hmm, I'll see how the mood takes me this evening in that case. Perhaps a batch done each way.

I like pickled onions that are really, really strong. Not so much 'Hot' as in chilli hot. Just as strong as possible. So it will be lots of spices and spiced vinegar and just a careful addition of my dried chillis to a few jars.

I think I'll have to find something else to do with the runners. Any suggestions?

I wasn't expecting to have so many. I put them in late, in a newly cleared bit of ground, in the shade. No feeding. Still picking them now and they are still setting flowers. My OH just leaves them if I put them on her plate. I like them, but I cannot physically eat them all by myself and I think my neighbours are sick of them now.

Next year I will do a single wigwam of runners and grow Canadian wonder beans in their place!

[veggiechicken]

How about runner bean chutney or this Spiced Pickled Runner Beans - Preserve - Recipes - from Delia Online

[mrswadders]

runner bean chutney is lovely, add some courgettes if your overun with them too!Leave some to dry on the plants and you'll have loads of dried beans to last you through the winter - two sheds is the expert I believe

[arpoet]

I always get my sister to make me a few jars of runner bean pickle. needs a couple of months to mature.... but... I am already halfway down jar.

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

Just read the recipe on Delia. Sounds really tasty - almost like picallili but with runners! Nice.

Thank you, will give it a whirl!

[markc]

I tried salted runners last year, packed into a jar with dry table salt. As others have said they are very salty but kind of expected that to be honest, used them in stews and casseroles instead of seasoning

[Alison]

I often salt runners and from somebody who doesn't add any salt to their veggies I still found that they worked well if soaked for an hour with regular rinsing. The taste was good but the colour a bit grey. Personally I found them crisper than frozen.

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

Got my onions done over the last two evenings. Ended up doing all wet brine. Did 4.5kg or there about. Can't wait to try them. 7 x 0.5L kilners, 1 x 1L large sarsons jar and 1 x 1L Kilner.

Lots of spices and have left varying amounts in the jars, though was careful with the chillis.

I'll wait til Spooky night to try them.

Does anyone add sugar to theirs?

Not going to salt my runners. Thinking on the pickle recipe!

[Kitchen Gardener]

Well I have tried both ways of pickling using hot brine or simply using pickling vinegar and to be honest noy noticed a lot of difference in end result. Never salted runner beans but might try next try year if
I have as large a crop as this, it has become a real chore trimming, blanching and freezing although I have been told that if the bean are young enough you can just trim and freeze. Had huge amounts of peas and broad beans as well.

[Bill HH]

The purpose of using salt is to get the water out of the onions so it always seems strange to me to use wet brine rather than dry salt. I use dry tabble sale or cooking salt and mine come out super crunchy.

Heres an example: My wife said to me....

"Darling wonderful Bill, what was that loud noise coming from the dining room? I heard it two rooms away" "Calm down calm down dear ( My Michael Winner impersonation) it's just me eating my pickled onions"

So it seems it matters not wet or dry.

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

Haha. Crunchy Bill.

I just put another small batch into jars. This time they were dry brined. I doubt there will be any much difference. Time will tell. the first batch are looking ok now - but I will be patient.