Anyone using the glass Perfect Pickler

[Guest guest]

All things being considered, it seems like the Perfect Pickler suits my needs

more than a Harsch Crock. The Harsch Crocks are great, but they sure are heavy

(at least 25 pounds - and that's without any vegetables in it!). The Perfect

Pickler is lighter, and easier to move around, and it's pretty fool proof. I've

been thinking about putting my money that I would have spent on a Harsch Crock

towards 3 or 4 Perfect Pickler, so that I could have several different things

going at the same time. Does this make sense, or is there something wrong with

my thinking about all this. I'd really appreciate some feedback.

Thanks,

jack

[Guest guest]

If you want to have a " kit " to start out with, it looks like a decent one.

Personally I like having some kind of kit or package that tells me what to

do, when I start out on a new thing.

However, either the Harsch crock or the Perfect Pickler is overkill if all

you want to do is make pickles. Any ol' mason jar will do, with a plastic

lid. You don't need a special valve in the lid: plastic lids deform enough

to keep the jar from breaking. Cukes can be put into the jar so the

shoulders of the jar keep them under the brine. You absolutely do not need a

" starter culture " . Using whey as a starter has made vegies mushy, for some

people. Some people prefer to use a commercial starter though, so you can

experiment and see which you prefer.

What you mainly need for good pickles is good cucumbers ... small ones that

are not fully ripe, and have no bruises, and are not waxed.

I wet the cukes and sprinkle them with salt, which " wilts " them some. That

makes them crispier when they ferment (not intuitive at all!). You can also

wilt them in the sun. Rinse the salt off.

Add a dill sprig, whole pepper, garlic cloves or whatever to the jar. Pack

in the cukes.

Make a brine of: 1 qt water, 2T salt, 2T vinegar. Boiled and cooled. Pour

the brine over the cukes. Add lid. Wait a few days. I put mine in the fridge

to " age " after 2 days to a week .... the fermentation that takes place at a

colder temperature seems to be more tasty, in my opinion. In the old days

they used a cold cellar, but I don't have one.

Anyway, that's all you *need*. The rest is for fun. It's kind of like: you

don't need " spice packets " or a " roasting bag " to cook a decent baked

chicken, but some people use both.

On Sun, Mar 20, 2011 at 6:45 PM, jacksquilts2005

<jacksquilts2005@...>wrote:

> All things being considered, it seems like the Perfect Pickler suits my

> needs more than a Harsch Crock. The Harsch Crocks are great, but they sure

> are heavy (at least 25 pounds - and that's without any vegetables in it!).

> The Perfect Pickler is lighter, and easier to move around, and it's pretty

> fool proof. I've been thinking about putting my money that I would have

> spent on a Harsch Crock towards 3 or 4 Perfect Pickler, so that I could have

> several different things going at the same time. Does this make sense, or

> is there something wrong with my thinking about all this. I'd really

> appreciate some feedback.

> Thanks,

> jack

>

>

>

> ------------------------------------

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my post, . I really

appreciate it.

--- In nutrition ,