In a pickle over dull colored pickles

[Casual Cook]

Hello and happy Thanksgiving,

I love pickles of all types. My pickled cucumbers, however, discolor and dull green. Likewise, when I add garlic cloves, they turn blue-green.

I use a 60-40% Vinegar to Water ratio as well as canning salt and pickling spices but not fresh dill.

Does anybody have any tips on how to preserve the bright green look? Also does anybody know how to get pink caulifower without using expensive red wine vinegar?

Thanks

[blissful]

Originally Posted by Casual Cook

Hello and happy Thanksgiving,

I love pickles of all types. My pickled cucumbers, however, discolor and dull green. Likewise, when I add garlic cloves, they turn blue-green.

I use a 60-40% Vinegar to Water ratio as well as canning salt and pickling spices but not fresh dill.

Does anybody have any tips on how to preserve the bright green look? Also does anybody know how to get pink caulifower without using expensive red wine vinegar?

Thanks

I'll watch this thread, as a few of my pickles turned dull too, I'm not sure why.
I've read that garlic will turn blue-green if it is not cured (dried) properly, something in it reacts with the minerals in the water--or maybe the vinegar? It is still safe to eat. Mine's only discolored on rare occasion. I make a pickled garlic--and they are white and stay white.

pink--boil up some beets, or use the juice from a can of beets.

[CWS4322]

What kind of pot did you use? If you us an aluminum pot, the discoloration can be a chemical reaction (I always use stainless and don't encounter this). Do you have hard water? It could be because of hard water as well. Or, the garlic wasn't cured long enough.

[Ryancooks]

I've experienced the same thing in the past. Here is what I've come to learn:

Chlorophyll is the name of the pigment that makes cucumbers green. It turns a brownish color under certain circumstances, one of which is prolonged exposure to heat. I brine/pickle cucumber pickles in the refrigerator using liquid that has been cooled down first. I don't can them, but keep them for several months in the refrigerator. They come out quite green and crisp. If you pour hot liquid over them or, worse yet, cook them in hot liquid you are far more likely to experience deadening of color.

I don't know all the science behind garlic turning blue, but I know that it is normal in the pickling process and is safe to eat. My experience has been that it only happens with raw garlic, not cooked.

I hope this helps.