Can this possibly be right?

9 years ago

I'm part of a low sodium group on Facebook. Today someone posted this homemade, no-salt-added "pickle" recipe. It's just cukes or onions pickled in vinegar but stored on the shelf.

The lady who posted this recipe was so happy and proud of her recipe, and a lot of members said they wanted to try it. I'm assuming that this recipe is not safe. But I don't want post any cautionary words without checking here first. Also, any advise how to word my comments.

"Take a jar and fill half way full with apple cider vinegar. Take a box of Zatarain's crab boil in a bag. Open bag and take as much spices as want to add to vinegar. I only used 2 tsp. Adjust amount depending on spiciness you prefer. No water and no sugar.

Take mini cucumbers and cut either in spears or in slices and put in jar. When finished adding cucumbers, then fill jar to top with vinegar. Put lid on and put in pantry. Leave for couple of weeks to pickle. Eat and enjoy. When I do pickled onions, I don't refrigerate. Vinegar doesn't need refrigerating. So in my opinion you don't need to refrigerate pickles either. Up to you."

Featured Answer

digdirt2

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Well Zat's contains salt according to the label. Quite a bit of it given the high sodium rating on the container of 120 mg per serving. So salt isn't the issue. If someone wants low-sodium pickles approved recipes are available.

The real problem here is "Put lid on and put in pantry. Leave for couple of weeks to pickle." So no processing and shelf storage? Sorry, that's a no. Listeria grows even in straight vinegar and even faster at room temperature. So unless it is fully fermented first, a jar with no processing goes into the fridge.

And "I don't refrigerate. Vinegar doesn't need refrigerating. So in my opinion you don't need to refrigerate pickles either. Up to you."

A jug of straight vinegar doesn't have to be refrigerated although it will store much longer if it is. But a jar of cukes and seasoning added is not the same thing as a jar of straight vinegar is it?

Dave

PS: based on my experience on many of these other canning forums don't assume they are interested in hearing any corrections/suggestions unless you are prepared for some flack in return.

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Comments (9)

food_lover
9 years ago
If I were going to try this, I would make only one jar to make sure I liked the taste. You don't want to waste food and effort on something that does not taste good to you. I would also wash the jar in hot soapy water, boil the vinegar before adding it to the jar, and store in the refrigerator. Honestly, I would probably also add a little bit of water (less than 50% of the liquid) because I don't think I would like cucumber pickles in straight vinegar.
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shambo
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks, Dave. I really had no intention of trying the recipe. I've lurked enough on this forum and read Annie's comments on the Cooking Forum to know better than to try anything from an unproven source. I've got copies of the Ball books along with Zeidrick's and Topp's. Other than NCHFP and this forum, I don't search online for canning/pickling recipes.

I just thought this pickle recipe was off. The poster was very enthusiastic as were the other Facebook group members. I think I need to message her to tell her that the recipe, as she has explained it, is dangerous and she shouldn't offer it up to others. As you and other Harvest forum members have often said, it's her choice. But she shouldn't mislead others.

FWIW, she explained after someone questioned her, that she was referring to Zatarain's crab boil in a bag. That's the one that is salt free.

Thanks for your feedback.
digdirt2
9 years ago
You can always just refer her to

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_06/prep_foods.html

Dave
annie1992
9 years ago
Shambo, that recipe sounds both unsafe AND like really vinegary pickles. However, the brine with the Zatarain's seasoning might be good for a cucumber type salad to be served immediately or after a chilling period in the fridge...

As Dave says, though, many people don't like to hear any opinions about the safety of their favorite recipes, they seem to take it as a personal criticism.

There are just too many good and safe(r) recipes available to be messing with things like this, IMO.

Annie
shambo
Original Author
9 years ago
Well, I think I've leaned my lesson. To quote Popeye, "Leave well enough alone!" I messaged one of the group's moderators asking if I should leave it up to them or message the poster directly. I got back a reply that was a combo of, "We're not scientists, so we can't offer opinions" and "I've done something similar for years as well as my mom and grandmother and no one died."

The irony is that these same people promote keeping track of every mg of sodium in every food source -- celery, milk, apples, etc. They have no compunction about giving medical or dietary advice. But heaven forbid they should refer folks to guidelines from the USDA/FDA/NCHFP.

My biggest concern was that the poster was encouraging others to follow her lead. And at least one person stated they were going to make these pickles for gifting.

I totally agree that there are so many good, safe, and varied recipes available to be messing with questionable ones.
annie1992
9 years ago
I'm not surprised. "No one died". Yet. (ahem) I also have a son in law who never wears a seat belt, and I rode all the way to Canada one summer in the back of a pick up. Neither of us died either, but it doesn't mean that either of those things are safe or that I would promote them as actions that should be taken by others, sheesh. Remember, cars didn't even have seatbelts until the 50s, and James Dean would probably have survived the crash that killed him had his vehicle been equipped with seat belts and he used them. (Or so say the crash experts) We didn't have baby seats for cars either, but I'm a proponent of taking new inventions and new advice and making life safer, so I use those "new" inventions, therefore maximizing my survival odds. If it "hasn't killed me yet", I'm probably going to stop doing it so that it doesn't kill me anytime in the near future! Plus, even if it doesn't kill me, I don't want the chance of spoilage to ruin my product and waste my time and money.

Annie
shambo
Original Author
9 years ago
I forgot to mention that most of the people in this low sodium group have serious health issues and compromised systems. So none of them should be messing with possibly unsafe food preparation practices. Whether canning, pickling, or food storage (such as leaving frozen hamburger on the kitchen counter to defrost while at work) Given that, I really don't understand the hesitancy to follow safe and tested methods.
digdirt2
9 years ago
It is a difficult lesson to learn - that so many just don't care or that they get defensive and hostile when their canning methods are questioned. It is sad that such closed minded, illogical attitudes even exist.

I'm all for tracking sodium and its related issues if that is their focus but when they bring canning into it they have to understand that the rules change. Cooking is an art but canning is based on science whether they like it or not.

Dave