Last year I used the following recipe successfully. This year I have scum settling on my finished pickles still on the counter. I can't figure out the problem. I can't keep wiping this white scum off the jar so thinking maybe not enough salt or something although tastes fabulous. Here's the recipe used. I didn't use the quantity of salt called for either, but less. I'm not saying the recipe is bad, but something I did wrong created this scum. Thanks.

Pickles raw bountenko


Raw Family’s Famous Rawssian Pickles Recipe:
(served at Raw Family booth at all Raw Food Festivals in Portland)

Ingredients:

3 lbs pickling cucumbers
1/2 big bunch of Pickling dill (with seeds)
4 horseradish leaves (for crunchiness)
1 medium head garlic
6 cups of water
9 Tablespoons of sea salt.

Cut one quarter of an inch off both ends of pickling cucumbers. Stuff the cucumbers into a glass gallon jar with garlic, dill (with seeds), and fresh horseradish leaves. If you have hard time finding horseradish leaves, you may use grape, currant or cherry leaves instead.

Mix the water and salt in a blender.

Pour the salt-water into the gallon jar so that the pickles are covered. If needed, add plain water to completely submerge the pickles. Let this jar sit on the counter covered with a cloth for two days. On the third day the pickles will be pickled enough to eat. If you will decide after four or five days that you want them to stop pickling, drain the water, cover the jar with lid and place them in the refrigerator.

Yields: 1 gallon of pickles

Warning: This dish contains large amount of salt, please eat sparingly!

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carolg

Anyone making raw pickles? Would love some help. Maybe putting a plate on it vs. the paper towels caused the scum this time. Monitoring it with two new batches. Also not cutting off tips of pickles either. For me saw it getting too soft inside pickle. Just through my experience as others may not have
that problem.

carolg

i asked a friend of mine that makes pickles and she said the scum may be from the reduction of the salt

salt is a kinda antiseptic if you thikn about it .. it was used in inbalming so it would stop the growth of beasties hehe

make another batch follow the receipi an see if happens again

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

Jodi,
thanks for reply ands asking friend.

I did start another batch already and doing well. I think putting the plate on the top was the troublemaker, but now with just a paper towel, so far so good. It's been 2 days in the making.

Reducing the salt was not the problem last year, but this year I'm calling it "plate disability."
carolg

My new batch is doing great. Added more salt, covering jar with paper towel or thin dishcloth, got rid of thinking about using a plate again,
using horseradish leaves and grape leaves too. Working great.

carolg

awesome

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

sounds like a real scummy problem

scummerz

those pickles
they are such scums

and no wonder they are in such a pickle (finding themselves abandoned by potential pickle lovers)

scumbags)