Pickles?
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MissMorts
Posts: 94 Member
Hi everyone! Dumb question if that's ok? You guys talk about pickles and the juice like they're mana from heaven....maybe I'm missing something or the pickles here in New Zealand are so high in sugar...? I can't make them fit in my day...? What am I missing?
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Replies
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You need to find different pickles. No sugar in the ones I eat.3
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Umm. I think it's a different versions of English problem. Pickles in the US refer to pickled cucumbers, sometimes sliced, sometimes not- usually in a salt water-vinegar- spice solution. Pickles in the UK and Australia (maybe also NZ) refer to a mixed vegetable, chopped, cooked product in a sauce of generous sugar, vinegar, spices, more like chutney. Both are delicious! I think I've eaten my way through too many countries.4
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Dill pickles are sour and very salty.
You're describing what I'd call sweet pickles.2 -
Make your own in your fridge: You will need sterilized jars with tight fitting lids. I find the recipe below will fill a couple of pint jars that have the cucumber & spicing already added. Lebanese or just about any cucumber you find at the veggie market will work. In winter I make them with English seedless cucumbers that are grown in hot houses. If you have a cucumber with lots of seeds you can discard seeds and cut cukes into quarters if you don't like seeds in your pickles.
Boil together 3 cups water, 1/8 cup of kosher or sea salt without iodine added, 1 tablespoon vinegar (I have used both white and apple cider for this and it is good with either one). Cool to room temperature.
Add your spices to the jar after placing the pickles in the way you want them. I use mustard seeds, whole black peppers, cracked only slightly, whole garlic cloves, and as much dill as I can work into the jars. I love dill.
Now take the cooled brine and pour it to within 1/4 in. of the top of the jar, this should cover the cukes' tops. Screw the lids on the jars and place in the fridge for a minimum of 5 days, I have had them last up to 3 months, when a jar got pushed so far back I couldn't see it. Usually this lasts me, the only pickle eater in the house a week or so. I add pickles to all kinds of things and they are a preferred snacking food for me as well. I have been drinking pickle juice since I could get a lid off of a pickle jar.
No sugar is required for any savory pickle but many recipes call for it. Don't go there.
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There are two types of pickles- sweet pickles and dill pickles. Sweet pickles (also known as 'bread and butter pickles' are not very keto friendly, dill pickles typically are. Personally, I could drink the brine off them all day... love that dill/vinegar/salt flavor.. it's really good for re-hydration too.
Bread and Butter/Sweet Pickles:
Dill:
If you like sour flavors, dill pickles are hard to beat.
As retirehappy mentioned, fridge pickles are a subset of dill pickles with a different flavor but extremely easy to make at home... check out this recipe:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/07/easiest-fridge-dill-pickles/
I can also vouch for this one:
http://www.thekitchn.com/small-batch-recipe-cucumber-pickles-urban-preserving-with-marisa-mcclellan-173303
Made it last summer and it came out pretty good, but I really just prefer em without garlic (even though I *love* garlic.) Lot of people toss a few pieces of yellow onion in the mix or garlic cloves or cauliflower as well... they all taste pretty good pickled.3 -
OMG you guys are life savers! I love Dill Pickles and if I can make them myself and keto friendly I will be in heaven! Thank you!1
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I was going to start drinking pickle juice the other day too. But then I looked at the ingredient list on my pickles in the fridge & I was surprised to see that it contains sodium benzoate. Apparently they use it as a preservative, but it's also been linked to a lot of bad news (including cancer). So I dumped that stuff & found a brand that doesn't doesn't use it at all. I want to try making my own too, but in the mean time I'll stick to the store bought stuff that doesn't use sodium benzoate. This way I can enjoy the pickles & then have no worries about drinking the juice.1
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If you make your own pickles using the heat technique versus refrigerator pickles, look for a product with the canning supplies called "Pickle Crisp." Otherwise, your pickles may turn out very not-crisp, which takes away half the appeal of pickled anything.
https://www.amazon.com/Ball-Pickle-Crisp-Granules-Pack/dp/B003IOEWL8
I include this link for informational purposes only. This is a ridiculous price.1 -
The only big pickles I've seen in the U.K. are in the Polish imports section, I buy pickled gherkins or cornichons (tiny cukes) they have very minimal sugar). I like them better anyway, they're super crispy versus soggy American style pickles.0
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You can make your own pickles very easily! Here is a recipe:
REFRIGERATOR DILL PICKLES
Ingredients:
3-1/2 cups water
1-1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon canning salt (NOT table salt)
1 tablespoon sugar
Cucumbers, unpeeled, sliced into disks (about 4 cups)
2 cloves garlic (whole)
2 heads fresh dill
Instructions:
Boil the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Cool. Add cucumbers, garlic, and dill in a glass mason jar (not metal!). Cover with the cooled liquid. Put in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. The pickles should be good for 6 weeks. Enjoy!
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You can make your own pickles very easily!
Boil the water, vinegar, sugar tequila, and salt in a saucepan. Cool. Add cucumbers, garlic, and dill in a glass mason jar (not metal!). Cover with the cooled liquid. Put in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. The pickles should be good for 6 weeks. Enjoy!
OK?
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