I find it easier when salting anything before pickles, chutney, etc. is to put the veg in a sieve ( in layers ), salt over each layer, pop sieve over a bowl and the salty water drains out. Then rinse and dry.
The exchange of salt solution into anything being pickled and then the absorption of vinegar into them takes a little while. The pickled gherkins need to be left in the vinegar for several weeks before the exchange is complete. They will never be as crisp and crunchy as when fresh. There is no need to use fresh salt for each picking of gherkins, I leave my salt solution, when it gets to that stage, it is always better to use rock salt rather than fine salt, on the window sill to dry out. If I have gherkins when the salt is still in solution, I just put the gherkins into the solution. The gherkins are always a little rubbery when they come out of the salt and not at all palatable.
Yes rinsing and drying but instead of crispy firm Gherkins I got limp very salty Gherkins, …
😵💫. How long had they been in the vinegar ?
They didn't get into the vinegar because they were soft and not crispy as I had expected them to be after salting for 24 hours, when I cut one and tried it it was saturated with salt so suspecting that this was wrong I binned them. Today I harvested some more and put them in salt for 2 hours although it turned out to be 3 1/2 hours as I forgot them, they were firmer than before so I then rinsed them off and dried them before putting them into the vinegar. I don't want the Gherkins to be too salty when I eat them but if the salt leaves them after pickling that's one thing but not being sure I salted them for a shorter time to be safe.
Sigh … I did explain that they won’t be plumped up until they’ve been in the vinegar because the vinegar replaced the moisture that was drawn out of the gherkins by the salt …
… and that the vinegar dilutes the salt so the finished product isn’t too salty.
You wouldn’t judge a cake when it’s only half made and not containing all the ingredients …
Hope the new batch is to your satisfaction … but I’m willing to bet that the first lot would’ve been good too, once the process was fully completed. 😊
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
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Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
There is no need to use fresh salt for each picking of gherkins, I leave my salt solution, when it gets to that stage, it is always better to use rock salt rather than fine salt, on the window sill to dry out. If I have gherkins when the salt is still in solution, I just put the gherkins into the solution.
The gherkins are always a little rubbery when they come out of the salt and not at all palatable.
… and that the vinegar dilutes the salt so the finished product isn’t too salty.
Hope the new batch is to your satisfaction … but I’m willing to bet that the first lot would’ve been good too, once the process was fully completed.
😊
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.