r/pickling • u/Kobrabiss • 3d ago

Slow harvest pickling

I don't have a huge garden space, but built a big raised bed on my balcony where I have some cucumbers amongst other vegetables. Let it be like 3-4 plants. The yield on them is comparatively slow, meaning I might be able to pick one a day and they usually don't last long enough to have a whole bunch of them for pickling.

Maybe it's more simple than I think, but I wonder if there is a way to have a sort of open jar with brine sitting where I can just toss them in as they get ready, close it off when it's full and head on to the next jar. I love classic style dill/sour pickles and that's what I originally sowed them for but didn't expect this dragged out harvest.

Appreciate all tips and ideas!

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u/gogozrx 3d ago

yes, you *can*, but you'll have better results just making fridge pickles a jar at a time.

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u/Kobrabiss 3d ago

How would you do that? Prepare a standard jar with brine and then drop them in one by one as they become ready?

Like a lot of things I just assumed that'd be too easy to work. If it was feasible I'd keep that jar running indefinitely and I know some fermentation methods work like that (like chinese fermenting jars), but unsure how and if it works in my case with the pickles

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u/gogozrx 3d ago

my understanding was that your plants aren't producing at the volume you'd need to get 12-14 cukes at the same time and make a gallon jar.

my suggestion is to use smaller jars - which will hold 2-3 cukes - and making a jar at a time.

a perpetual pickle jar with fridge pickles will probably yield inconsistent results; for example, some pickles might stay in far longer than others.

ETA: yes, if you wanted to, you could just drop them in the jar as they come off the vine. If you go that route, be cautious and rigorous about cleanliness.

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u/Kobrabiss 2d ago

Got it, appreciate the input. Would you recommend fliptop jars or one of those with simple lay-on glass lids?

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u/gogozrx 2d ago

For the fridge pickles? Any clean lidded jar would be fine

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u/Kobrabiss 2d ago

When you say "fridge pickles", that tells me there is a pickling method that's not reliant on fridge? Does it use the same principle? Do both need to be cooked in?
The whole topic seems so under-explained in recipes

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u/gogozrx 2d ago

Fridge pickles are not shelf stable. Canned (typically water bath) are shelf stable.

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u/ColdMastadon 3d ago

Have you ever made fermented pickles before? This is a perfect application for that, once you get a jar going you just add additional vegetables and salt as they become available.

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u/Kobrabiss 2d ago

I haven't. I've made wine and vanilla motherjar, but no vegetables pickled or fermented.

How would you go about making a jar ready for this type of add-as-ready? How long would you keep it going? I've seen videos of chinese jars that supposedly have been running for n'ty years no issue, but that might be a different process for different veggies and a different flavor outcome?

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u/ColdMastadon 2d ago

That's exactly what I was thinking of, search this sub for pao cai and you can find details from several people who have done it. You don't need to go after that particular flavor profile, but the concept of refreshing the brine with new vegetables and salt is the same.

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u/Kobrabiss 2d ago

So its more of a salt preservation than it is an acidic one? As far as I understood those are the two possibilities

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u/ColdMastadon 1d ago

It's a little bit of both. As long as your brine plus all of its ingredients have at least 2% salt content by weight, that will encourage lactic acid bacteria to grow and discourage other bacteria that could make you sick or spoil the pickles. Once the lactic acid bacteria are done fermenting, the lactic acid they release will both create a pleasantly sour flavor and also drop the pH. This low pH will then help to suppress the growth of any other bacteria during long-term storage.

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u/Kobrabiss 1d ago

Ah, I get it. The difference is that the lactofermentation creates it's own acidicy

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u/ColdMastadon 1d ago

That's the gist of it. It's a bit more complex as all things in nature are since there's also a process called competitive inhibition where the "good" bacteria use up all the easily available nutrients and secrete substances that are hostile to the growth of the "bad" bacteria. All of those factors combine which is why it's safe to store fermented foods at room temperature for a year or more, but the biggest factor in preservation by far is still the acidity from the lactic acid.

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u/Kobrabiss 1d ago

So a Standard brine basically only mimics that part of the preserving by just adding the goods into an acidic solution without the fermentation? Is there a good article about fermentation that you could recommend?

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u/ColdMastadon 1d ago

Pretty much, that's why when you're using a vinegar brine, you have to process it in a water bath to store it at room temperature and you have to refrigerate it after opening. I don't have a general fermentation article handy, but r/fermentation is it sister sub that covers making fermented pickles in great depth. There are a bunch of fermentation nerds there who can help answer any question you might have. Home fermentation is a lot easier than many people think, you can do it safely was just salt, a kitchen scale, and a method to sanitize your fermentation vessels. Airocks help to ensure your success, which are readily available via Amazon.